


Code: Chaos. Call 119!

by yuyuri13



Category: NCT (Band), NCT 127 - Fandom, NCT Dream, NCT U - Fandom, SME Family, WAYV
Genre: Adorable, Angst, Chaptered, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Competition, Concerts, Crack, Crossdressing, Cute, Developing Relationship, Drama, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Fights, First Kiss, First Love, Fist Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Fun, Heartbreak, I Don't Even Know, Implied Relationships, Jokes, Love, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, OT21 (NCT), Prank Wars, Romance, Swearing, chatroom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:47:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 65,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27581570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuyuri13/pseuds/yuyuri13
Summary: The Dreamies have to go through the aftermath of their Dream Show (especially that 119 performance that seemed to make most of the older members uncomfortable). It's not gonna be that easy - catching all of them. "Good luck, hyungs! Let's play!"
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Moon Taeil, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Moon Taeil/Nakamoto Yuta, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Liu Yang Yang/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 68
Kudos: 182





	1. The outrageous discovery of NCT (Dream)

**Author's Note:**

> Ok. I got the idea after finally watching their fancam for 119 and reading fan reactions. This is mindless crack/fluff or some sort of an attempt. Sorry if it doesn't make much sense or if it feels like unoriginal - first time writing NCT ff. Please enjoy!

"What are they doing?!" Doyoung screeched in obvious annoyance. "Why are they even-?" Johnny placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady, since the boy was quite ready to jump out of his seat and straight on the bright stage.

"Is that... Is that a hip thrust?!" he screamed again pointing to Renjun who was moving his body to the beat, a seductive expression on his face. "Doyoung-ah, it really isn't that bad." Taeil said getting more comfortable in his chair.

In between them was staying Taeyong, mouth hanging open and eyes glued to the six members of NCT Dream that were giving their best in front of the fans. "This is too much." he finally let out, head hanging low, ready to fall in his hands.

"You guys are overreacting. I think it suits them really well." Jungwoo shrugged, cheering continuously by swinging a lightstick around. Others seemed to agree with him, being quite amused at the reactions of some of the guys.

"They ARE kids and this is not appropriate!" Kun interfered, frowning and pouting.

"And what should they dance to? BABY SHARK?" Jungwoo replied, rolling his eyes and turning to have a better look at the older.

"Well they did... And we all know how that played out. They can't be tamed." Johnny stated, while Taeil and Yuta clapped in agreement.

The screams around them got even louder and more erratic as Jisung and Chenle popped their hips at the same time. Doyoung almost fell out of his seat, luckily he was still clinging to a mortified Taeyong.

"EXPLAIN THAT!" Kun yelled, jumping up on his feet, threading fingers through his silky hair. Someone pulled him back down, but he didn't have the energy to turn and look who it was. He was staring intensely at Jungwoo, ready to fight the younger man who was fully supportive of this special stage the Dreamies had put together. "Don't be so outdated. At least they didn't rip their shirts off or something." Jungwoo laughed just as Jeno moved to the middle of the stage to do a flip, casually removing his jacket revealing his beautifully shaped muscles. "Oh-oh..."

"LEE JENO COVER YOURSELF RIGHT NOW OR I AM CALLING YOUR MOTHER!" Doyoung shrieked, waving his arms and jumping up and down. Kun started glaring at Jungwoo, who was just smiling innocently at him.

"Ha! He finally listened to me! I told him it was a great idea to do it!" Yukhei praised, amid the wild screams from the crowd. Three pairs of eyes were fixed on him now, measuring the man up and down and contemplating murder.

"You did what?" Taeyong asked steadily, not knowing whether he wanted to growl or to sigh deeply. Yukhei blinked two times and tried to hide behind Jungwoo, realizing the danger he had gotten himself into "Nothing. I said the lights are pretty.".

* * *

Jeno threw himself on the couch, eyes shutting off automatically, enjoying how silent the waiting room was. The concert was over and he couldn't have been more proud of his team. The crowd was also impressive and the fanchants had been right on point. Satisfying.

"Y'ALL BETTER RUN AND HIDE!" high pitched dolphin noises were coming from behind the door, eliciting a groan from the poor man who just wanted some peace and quiet. "What is it, Chenle?" Jeno asked throwing the door open and grabbing the younger by the collar. Chenle was trying hard to break free, swinging his feet and pulling with his hands at Jeno's strong grip. "We. Are. Dead." he started, panic fixated on his features "Look behind us.".

Jeno turned curiously, eyes falling on three menacing figures that were slowly walking towards them. As soon as his gaze met Taeyong's, his ears got split open "LEE JENO! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!". He pulled the younger into the waiting room, locking the door and mimicking the same panic that had taken over the other just a few moments before.

"OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!" a booming voice cut through the walls and Jeno wasn't sure whether he wanted to move the couch to block the entrance completely or just face courageously his early demise.

"I am so sorry. I promise I'll only do aegyo from now on." he tried begging, ignoring Chenle's mocking expression and whispers "1+1 = kwiyomi". He frowned and mouthed "I'll kill you." before trying to listen to what the elders had to say.

"Baby shark was foreshadowing!"

"How dare you take your clothes off?"

"Do you think this is Magic Jeno XXL?"

"Y'all are too young to be doing this stuff!"

"Open the door!" Jeno sighed and finally cleared the lock, allowing his other members to come in. Taeyong's face was flushed, either from annoyance or getting so riled up. Kun was quietly massaging his temples while strolling towards a quite nervous Chenle. Doyoung was just standing still and glaring at the youngsters, fingers slowly cracking behind his back. It was so much tension in the room, you could have fried eggs in it - sunny side up.

"Wow! Jeno you snapped, man! Those abs are so well defined!"

"Chenle! Nice hip thrusts, gotta teach me sometimes how you isolate your hips like that!"

Johnny and Jungwoo marched in, in hopes of saving the boys from the three older ones that looked ready to commit murder. Unfortunately, their words only further fueled an already burning fire. Chenle was hiding behind a very tensed up Jeno, searching for the best ways to escape the difficult situation they got themselves in. The tallest positioned himself next to them, wrapping his arm around the youngest shoulders to pull him in an embrace. “Don’t worry. You’re not gonna get your asses kicked as long as I’m around.” Johnny whispered and winked at Jeno, while running circles on the Chinese boy’s back.

“Where are the rest?” the leader asked calmly, smiling dangerously as he sat himself on the couch “I have no intention of holding this lecture twice.”. He put one leg over the other, leaning back on the soft cushion. His hair was falling over his forehead, sticking to it from all the sweating, but he didn’t bother pushing any strands away. He looked fabulous enough like this too.

Just as the room got quieter and everyone seemed to have gotten over the initial tension, Renjun swayed inside, smiling from ear to ear “Why are you all yelling? Today’s concert was pure fire!”. As soon as his eyes fell on the older men and their cold expressions, he froze in his steps. “Oh, shit-“ he started as he was about to turn around and run away, but Doyoung was way faster, grabbing the younger by the shoulder and pulling him among the rest. “The only place you’re gonna go is Hell, considering those sinful dance moves.” he let out, ignoring the loud groans from Johnny and Jungwoo “I should get you all some Bibles, maybe that will drive away whatever Devils have taken over you.”.

“We haven’t done anything that bad. We are adults and we can choose our own choreos just fine.” Jeno complained, throwing glances from Kun, to Taeyong, to Doyoung. Meanwhile Chenle was making desperate signs next to him to get the boy to shut up before they got into even more trouble. “Ssht. What do you expect us to sing? Chewing gum for all our lives?” he continued, at the same time grabbing the Chinese member’s wrists to keep him still.

“If possible. Yeah.” Taeyong replied, the other two nodding in agreement “It was disastrous enough that you performed 119 like that, you just had to sing the debut song right after.”. At this point, Jeno’s cheeks were turning red and it wasn’t from the heat. He was getting angry at the fact that they were still being treated like children and his hyungs were overreacting for nothing. His gaze fell on Renjun, slightly expecting some kind of help from the boy, but his friend’s eyes were glued to the phone as he typed something quite fast. Jeno’s phone vibrated on the table – once, twice, continuously.

Kun, who was closer to it, frowned and threw a look to the Chinese boy. He picked up the device, checking the incoming messages, expression going from surprise to confusement to annoyance and downright furious “YAH!”.

* * *

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**17:15**

**Hyung:** I can’t wait to see you guys

 **Little Chick:** Get ready for some top notch performances

 **Big Head No.1:** Yeah, we’ll show you how it’s done

 **Hyung:** Hahah, I wonder what you’re pulling this time

 **Full Sun:** Lucas-hyung gave us the best idea tho

 **Nana:** Ssht, don’t spoil it

 **Jenojam:**???

 **Full Sun:** *evil laugh*

**19:51**

**Hyung:** What the fuck did y’all do?!

 **Hyung:** Answer meee!

 **Hyung:** Yah!

 **Hyung:** I’m still responsible for you

 **Hyung:** You lil’ shitheads

 **Hyung:** Doyoung-hyung and Kun-hyung are screaming

 **Hyung:** I had to pull Kun-hyung down so we don’t get kicked out

 **Hyung:** Taeyongie-hyung looks like he’s about to have a heartattack

 **Hyung:** Guys, I know you’re backstage

 **Hyung:** Answer meee!

**20:43**

**Big Head No.1:** Y’ALL BETTER RUN!

 **Little Chick:** Are they here?

 **Big Head No.1:** YOU BET THEY ARE

*sends selfie while running away from DY, TY and Kun*

 **Nana:** Lead them outside

 **Nana:** We need to leave asap

 **Full Sun:** Like… the venue?

 **Hyung:** If y’all wanna be safe

 **Hyung:** Leave the planet

 **Renjunnie:** Chenle where you at?

 **Little Chick:** I hear screaming

 **Nana:** They must have gotten him…

 **Full Sun:** *sigh* I guess I’m alone on the vocal line now

 **Renjunnie:** YAH!

 **Nana:** Where’s Jeno?

 **Full Sun:** Now is not the moment…

 **Nana:** What?

 **Full Sun:** *wink* you know what I’m talking about

 **Hyung:** GUYS!

**21:04**

**Renjunnie:** SAVE YOURSELVES

 **Renjunnie:** I TRIED TO RUN

 **Renjunnie:** DOYOUNG HYUNG PULLED ME BACK

 **Renjunnie:** I AM SCARED

 **Renjunnie:** CHENLE AND JENO ARE ALIVE

 **Renjunnie:** BUT WE’RE NOT SAFE

 **Renjunnie:** HELP US

 **Renjunnie:** I’LL DO LAUNDRY FOR A WEEK

 **Renjunnie:** FUCKING PLEASE

 **Renjunnie:** KUN-HYUNG LOOKS MURDEROUS

 **Renjunnie:** TAEYONGIE-HYUNG HAS CROSSED HIS ARMS AND LEGS

 **Renjunnie:** WE ARE DEAD

 **Renjunnie:** THEY GOT JENO’S PHONE

 **Renjunnie:** BYEEE

Kun was tackling Renjun on the floor, phone out of reach. Doyoung leaned down and picked it up, a mortified expression appearing on his face after reading the latest conversations. He let it fall on Taeyong’s lap, as he measured Jeno and Chenle up and down, thinking what the best punishment would be for them. The leader sighed deeply and started typing in the Dreamies’ chatroom, raising an eyebrow and laughing evily to himself.

Johnny was sitting next to him, lazily checking what the other was doing, keeping on his lap a very exhausted and quiet Chinese boy. Jungwoo was clinging to Jeno, glaring at Doyoung to keep him from getting any closer to them.

“This is gonna be amazing.” Taeyong said smirking and waiting for the replies to his texts. Unfortunately, his trap broke down before it had caught any flies.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**21:15**

**Renjunnie:** Nevermind

 **Renjunnie:** They’re calm now

 **Renjunnie:** Come to Jeno’s waiting room

 **Renjunnie:** I’m here with him and Chenle

 **Full Sun:** And I’m the king of the world

 **Full Sun:** I ain’t falling for this bullshit

 **Little Chick:** Is a gun pointed at your head?

 **Nana:** Renjun-ah, is Jeno ok?

 **Full Sun:** Not now Jaeminnie **/** **Little Chick:** Not now hyung

 **Nana:** Ok, kids

 **Nana:** Let’s play then

 **Renjunnie:** What? I’m being serious guys

 **Full Sun:** Renjunnie would’ve exploded by now

 **Full Sun:** He is easy prey 

**Full Sun:** Whoever this is, you ain’t fooling us

 **Little Chick:** This venue is not big enough for two winning teams

 **Full Sun:** Try to sound less threatening Jisung-ah

 **Nana:** Release the Dreamies and we might reconsider

 **Full Sun:** Until then…

 **Full Sun:** Come find us hyungs

 **Little Chick:** Hide and seek!

 **Hyung:** Y’all are so dead…

Suddenly Taeyong started screaming, jumping out of his seat “LITTLE DEVILS!”. Donghyuck’s laugh could be heard in the hallway, then complete silence. “They wanna play hide and seek…” the elder muttered and looked up at the others. Doyoung groaned, while Kun released his grip on Renjun. “That’s fun! Let me get the rest!” Johnny cheered, getting up from the couch and rushing out of the room.

“This is gonna be a long night…” Jeno plainly stated crashing down onto the black cushion. He just wanted to enjoy a little peace and quiet, but he just had to be a member of NCT.


	2. NCT (Dream) can be a total mess (in more ways than one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Jeno and Jaemin are still looking for each other, Donghyuck is busy trolling Taeyong, Jisung and Chenle are using their maknae power, Renjun is letting out some bottled up feelings and Mark is rethinking his life choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so bad at making summaries without giving away too much. Sorry if it's bad. 
> 
> Thank you for all the love for the previous chapter. I hope you also like this one! <3
> 
> T/W: this contains quite a bit of swearing and mentions of sexual (?) things.

Johnny had found the other boys hanging around in the venue’s caffé, talking animatedly about the concert. While he was struggling to open the door (“It says push, not pull!” – Jaehyun yelled from the inside), Yuta was trying to pull a very flustered Sicheng on his lap, saying it was just this one time and he won’t do it again after. Yukhei was laughing at their antics, filling the small place with colourful sounds. Taeil was quietly playing on his phone, not bothering to raise his head when the taller member approached their table.

“Hide and seek.” Johnny told them, grinning widely “We gotta call the others if they’re done with their schedules.”. Jaehyun just stared at him, sipping his warm tea. Sicheng jumped up from the Japanese man’s arms, hiding behind the one who was already standing “I’ll take care of it!”. “I’ll join you!” Yuta explained and his helpless victim squirmed and made a few complaints, before giving up completely.

* * *

Doyoung was assigned the mission of supervising the already caught Dreamies, being left in the waiting room with a very annoyed Jeno, a tied up Renjun (who apparently had already tried to escape two times) and a surprisingly quiet Chenle. Jungwoo was cuddled up on the couch next to the one he had been protecting all evening, slowly running fingers through his hair to calm him down. He pulled out his phone when it vibrated, smiling sheepishly at the name of the sender. Carefully, he looked up at Doyoung who was now trying to pull out more information from the younger Chinese boy, then nudged Jeno in the side and showed him the screen:

 **21:32 Yukhei bby <3: **Hyung, want some help with the kids? ;) I can do wonders

Jungwoo started typing, cooking up some plan to help his friends escape the clutches of the other (still) furious members. The younger relaxed next to him, chuckling evily as he continued reading the conversation. Doyoung was not suspecting anything, but Renjun was looking up at them expecting some kind of sign. The older winked at him just as he’d received a message from Yukhei saying he was getting closer to the waiting room.

It was finally complete silence and none of them were moving, until suddenly they heard a loud scream in the hallway, making at least three of them jump up in surprise. The one who was supposed to watch them, slowly got up and walked towards the door to open it. Right then, Jungwoo grabbed him from behind, while Jeno was wrapping around him some chains they had used as props in the concert. Who knew they could ever come in as useful?

“Yukhei~!” Jungwoo cheered in his cute voice and the other got inside, helping them imprison Doyoung behind some clothing racks. “Now… I am sorry about this, but you gotta understand – protecting the Dreamies is our priority.” Yukhei told him and smiled brightly, before pulling a ducktape roll from his pocket and sticking some over the older’s mouth. Chenle took a blanket and covered him, placing also some pillows around “Now you can take a nap, hyung!”.

They walked to the middle of the room, the youngest sliding out his phone to check their group chat. Except for the bickering that Taeyong had told them about there wasn’t anything new. They had to find a way to alert the others that they have escaped and search for a meeting place to put their ideas in order. No one can beat them when it comes to games, but this… This was no longer a game. It became personal when the elder uncovered their Kakao Talk chatroom. This meant war.

“Ok, ok, Chenle, calm down. Put the knives away before you hurt yourself.” Jungwoo reassured him, still in his joking mood, while untying a squirming Renjun. “You gotta admit. He’s good at giving pep talks.” Yukhei laughed, wrapping an arm around the youngest’s shoulders. Jeno was impatiently walking through the room, something bothering him intensely. He pursed his lips in a thin line and looked up worriedly at the rest, scaring them a bit, until he opened his mouth to speak “What if they caught Jaemin?”.

Renjun facepalmed, regretting his choice instantly as his skin stung a little “Now is not the moment!”, but deep down inside he was wondering the same thing.

* * *

Donghyuck got up from his chair, pacing around as he stared at the others “We can’t let them catch us.”. The youngest nodded in agreement, while the other one was just pouting. “I’ll go towards the rooftop, Jisungie you take the exit to the back alley, Jaemin go inside the concert hall. We’ll split up, since there aren’t probably too many of them looking for us.” the eldest told them and as soon as he reached where they were staying, he put his hand out in front “YO, DREAM!”.

“Let’s do it! FIGHTING!”

* * *

Taeyong was just aimlessly walking through the hallways, politely greeting staff, but at the same time keeping an eye out for the younger members. When he got to the central room, where the vending machines were, he found Jaehyun sitting in an armchair, one leg over the other, quietly sipping his tea. “Yah! Aren’t you going to help?” the older asked, pointing accusingly at the relaxed member. “Nah, this is too good.” the man replied, straw in between his teeth, smile forming around it, beautiful dimples marking his cheeks.

The leader sighed and was preparing to search some more, when he spotted a tall mop of brown hair just turning the corner. He started running after the maknae, avoiding the other people who were just cleaning and gathering concert props and items. “YAH! PARK JISUNG!” he yelled, none of them slowing down. Suddenly, one of them took a dangerous turn, sliding a bit on the slippery floor, trying to balance himself with one hand. Jisung turned his head to laugh at the other and almost hit a wall. The eldest regained his balance and continued the chase. When they were approaching the backdoor exit, Taeyong jumped and fell right on top of the younger, instantly grabbing his wrists and putting them above his head. “Let me go!” the boy complained squirming.

Some staff members were just staring at their weird position, probably wondering whether they should ask for a raise or not. “He wants to torture me. Help me! Someone!” Jisung started pleading, making puppy eyes at the passersby, putting his aegyo skills to test. Taeyong started panicking when two older women approached them slowly, glaring at him. “Why are you treating the poor boy like that?” one of them asked frowning down at him. “Noonaaa~! He’s always like this. As soon as something doesn’t click with him, he gets angry.” the maknae continued, his brown orbs getting as big as possible and all teary. The eldest’s jaw dropped in shock and he started climbing off of the boy, just sitting on his ass.

“Oh, my! How can someone treat you like that?” another woman chirped in, helping Jisung get up from the floor and patting the dust off of his clothes. The younger stared at his hands, shaking his shoulders as if he had started crying. “Oh, no!” the staff members called in unison and joined his side. Taeyong almost fell for the trap, getting ready to apologize to his friend, until the other looked up at him slightly and smirked “Noonaaa~! It really makes me so sad!”. The leader got up and left the room screaming “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!”.

As soon as he was out of the door, Jisung straightened his back and smiled brightly at the women “Thank you. I feel better now.”. He walked towards the exit, being quite proud of himself and his popping skills. Those shoulder movements must have been the cherry on top. He made a mental note to include that in another choreography he’d try making. Outside in the back, the fans were gathered, waiting for them to come out. The maknae waved at them, enjoying all the cheers he was receiving, grinning whenever he heard an “oppa” from the crowd, cringing when he noticed that middle-aged fans were actually the ones using the word.

“Hey, guys! So, listen to me. Sshht!” he started, finger moving to his lips to quiet down everyone. As soon as the people there calmed down, he continued “So, almost all the NCT members are right now in the venue and we’ve decided to play a little game – the rest are hunting the Dreamies. Can you help us a little?”. There was complete silence, then someone from the front yelled “If you show us your abs!”. Jisung groaned loudly, massaging his temples with two fingers, then made an annoyed face as he put his two wrists together to imitate handcuffs “Prison.”.

“Aegyo!” another woman interfered and this time he was a bit more relaxed. “Ok.” the boy quickly agreed and began doing the Kwiyomi song, while screaming on the inside. He hated this, but if the others could make sacrifices for the team, he couldn’t give up that easily. As soon as the fans’ singing was over, the maknae silenced them again, all the aww-s and aaah-s. “Some of my friends will probably come outside looking for us. I want you to tell them that Jisung, Donghyuck and Jaemin all left in the same black car. If any of them try to run away, block them and stall them as much as you can. Ok?” he instructed them, feeling proud as hell of the wonderful ideas that had struck him. Everyone cheered and he blew one last flying kiss and winked, before getting back inside the venue.

“Plan A in motion.” Jisung clapped and pulled out his phone to inform the rest.

* * *

Jaemin wandered around the concert seats for a while, watching out for anyone familiar who could come inside the hall, until he felt the device vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out and smiled fondly at the message “ _I got rid of Taeyong hyung and let the fans know of our little game_ ^^ _Fighting!_ ”. It was time for him to move further, having a few choices of what he could do next going through his head: find a good hiding spot, get to Jeno, eliminate someone from the competition. The last two seemed rather tiring, so for the moment he went on to look for a nice, comfortable closet.

Walking carefully through the hallways, he discovered an empty dressing room, already cleaned up by the staff. The boy rushed in as he heard ruckus down the path he was already on, climbing inside a white wardrobe, which was a lot taller and wider than necessary. Soon enough, he felt his heart racing like crazy when footsteps stomped inside, door being shut loudly behind the person. His breath stopped instantly as he could notice shadows through the cracks, moving around impatiently. Finally, time seemed to move slower as someone was getting closer and closer to the cabinet, Jaemin trying hard not to jump out and tackle the other to the ground. “ _Fight like a man_ ” he encouraged himself, before the doors flung open and his gaze fell on two beautiful, brown eyes staring back at him in relief.

“Scoot over. I need to get in. Kun hyung was just outside of this room.” the other member whispered, climbing on top of Jaemin, barely managing to fit both of their limbs inside the closet. The younger boy’s face lit up, arms wrapping around the older’s waist, pulling him even closer. “I am so happy it is you.” he whispered next to his ear, enjoying Renjun’s flustered expression and the perfume that was tickling his nostrils. His lips puckered up, kissing the boy on top, right on the nose, then keeping their faces as close as possible, refusing to move an inch. “S-s-stop it! H-H-He will f-f-find us!” the Chinese boy hissed and turned his head, to face the doors of the wardrobe.

Jaemin slid his hands underneath the other’s shirt, grinning when he heard him gasp loudly. “Don’t you think this is kind of sexy though?” he asked lowly, placing another kiss on the older’s exposed neck. “I will fucking kill you if you don’t-“ Renjun started, now fully facing the other boy, glaring at him with all his power, hands carefully supporting his weight by grasping his shoulders. “If I don’t what?” the younger interrupted him, biting his lip seductively, fingers caressing the sides of the one on top of him. Jaemin enjoyed the shudders his touch elicited and slowly closed the distance in between their lips, stopping when they were just a breath apart “Where is Jeno?”.

Renjun looked down at him, feeling a pang of disappointment in his chest “He is with Jungwoo hyung and Yukhei hyung, searching for you. Me and Chenle split up to look for the rest.”. The younger mused, quite satisfied with the answer, then decided to give his friend a well-deserved prize, by kissing him fully on his plump lips. The Chinese boy wanted it, but didn’t expect this to happen so soon. He gasped and tried to pull back in panic, forgetting they were actually hiding in a closet. The doors flung open and Renjun fell out on his ass with the other on top of him “Oww…”.

Before they could properly take in the position they were in and how their bodies molded together, they heard rustling. “What was that?!” Kun yelled from behind the door and the mortified boys could see the knob slowly turning. “Oh, shit!” Jaemin exclaimed, helping themselves up “Are you ready?”. The older blinked once or twice, failing to understand what the boy was suggesting. Then, their fingers were intertwined and as soon as Kun entered the room, he found himself on the floor, back hitting the wall loudly. Renjun and Jaemin ran out, looking behind them and laughing happily, fully enjoying their escape.

“AAAH! JUST WAIT TILL I CATCH YOU!” the man screamed and chased after them, ignoring all the annoyed and surprised looks he was getting “HAVE KIDS THEY SAID. IT’S GONNA BE FUN THEY SAID. AAAH!”.

Just as they passed by, one staff member stared at their manager who was lounging comfortably on one couch, covered with a blanket and quietly sipping warm coffee. “Aren’t you gonna do something?” the girl asked pointing towards the direction the three boys went. “Nah. They can handle Kunnie just fine.”. the man answered and pat the seat next to him. “I was talking about all of them running around and fighting.” she tried again, dropping to the floor the bags she was holding and sitting down. “Hahah. This? This is nothing. You should’ve seen them drunk in Ukraine.” he snickered throwing a bottle of juice on her lap. The girl’s eyes grew wider, waiting for him to continue whatever he was going to say. “You try searching for all these guys through a city you know nothing of, while they just want to ~ _have fun_ ~.” the manager’s expression grew dark, then he shuddered and stared at his hands emptily “This is fine. You’re back in Korea. You’re safe.”.

The staff member got up and wanted to continue with what she was doing before, but Chenle stopped her in her tracks. “Is 50$ enough?” he asked as he was pulling out his wallet. She blinked in disbelief, trying to understand the one in front of her. “To help us. You just need to drive away whoever asks about the Dreamies. I don’t know. Trip them or something.” he continued, looked at the money in his hand, then at the girl. “You’re right. 75$ will have to do.” the boy extended to her the payment and smiled innocently. When she didn’t make any move, he grabbed her palm and placed the bribe there, before turning around and going to another group of people.

“Unbelievable.” the girl muttered, slightly glaring at the giggling manager. “That’s Chenle for you~!” he mused, now downright laughing his ass off at her mortified expression.

* * *

Donghyuck was pretty relaxed. Even if he met any of the older members, he could fight them just fine. Except for Johnny. That man was out of question. He was shaking just at the thought of it. Johnny wouldn’t do that to him though, so he was safe for now. He walked slowly, pretending he was in a spy movie, sliding on the floor and going from wall to wall, fingers united in the form of a gun. Just as he had in his mind that he wanted a bit of action he spotted his leader. A smirk appeared on his face and the boy went out to be in full view “Taeyongie hyung~!” he cheered cutely, moving his hips from side to side, puckering his lips at the other “Come and get me~!”.

Taeyong turned around and frowned at the sight, cracking his knuckles. Donghyuck faked a terrified expression, before running away as fast as he could. The older chased after him, cursing in his mind when he noticed the path chosen by his member. They were going up the stairs towards the rooftop, trying their best not to trip and fall over.

Just as the leader was getting tired and stopped for a bit to catch his breath, Donghyuck looked down at him over the rail and began dancing to what seemed a random choreography at first. Then, the singing started and Taeyong swore he was going to strangle the younger when he caught him “ _I’m going to find my heaaart~ my heaaart~ my heaaart~ Catch me if you can!_ ”. He apologized in his head to his SNSD sunbaes, before he ran up the stairs again. Donghyuck was a lot faster and went out through a door on the side, locking it behind him. The elder cursed loudly as he pulled at the knob and suddenly something pinged in his pocket. He fished out the phone and looked at the screen.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**22:27**

**Full Sun:** Your age is showing Taeyongie hyung

 **Little Chick:** He ran around for so long

 **Little Chick:** And he couldn’t catch any of us

 **Jenojam:** Even worse

 **Jenojam:** The rest of the Dreamies got away too

 **Nana:** Jeno-yaaah are you ok bby?

 **Jenojam:** ;) Of course I am

 **Big Head No.1:** Ew, take your flirting somewhere else

 **Renjunnie:** What did you do to Doyoung?

 **Jenojam:** Let’s hope he is into BDSM – Hot Babe Jungwoo

 **Full Sun:** LMAO that is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while

 **Nana:** Kids, cover your eyes

 **Little Chick:** You need to use that warning also when you’re all over Jeno hyung

 **Big Head No.1:** I second that. I wish I could erase some unfortunate memories

 **Renjunnie:** What the-?

 **Nana:** Do you want me to switch teams? :3

 **Little Chick:** Just joking! HAHAH

 **Big Head No.1:** *facepalm* I ran out of money

 **Full Sun:** Now that’s the real joke

 **Hyung:** Taeyongie hyung, meet me in the central room

 **Hyung:** I can help you catch them ;)

 **Nana:** *shocked*

**Full Sun has removed Hyung from the chatroom Best NCT subunit**

**Nana:** *applause*

Donghyuck frowned and put his phone away, swearing at Mark under his breath. Instead of taking care of them, he had decided to be a little asshole and stay against them. This wasn’t going to go unnoticed. When he finally found an empty waiting room, he got inside, closing the door behind him. He took his jacket off and threw it on the couch, yawning and feeling exhausted from all the running. His device pinged again and he hesitated in taking it out. Maybe it was his _hyung_ who was begging him to add him back to the chatroom. Donghyuck certainly didn’t want to see that. He sat down, closing his eyes in an attempt to rest for a little bit. Then his phone began vibrating insistently. “Fucking bullshit.” he cursed loudly and looked at the screen.

**22:36 Unknown number:** Hello

 **22:36 Unknown number:** Help is on the way (v)

 **22:36 Unknown number:** Where are you?

The boy rolled his eyes and just replied “wrong number” before shutting it off.

**22:37 Unknown number:** You’re Lee Donghyuck / Haechan, right? Yukhei hyung told us to get to you guys

Now he couldn’t understand anything. Was it a sasaeng that was trying to trap him? Was it one of the hyungs? Who in the world could come and save him right now?

**22:38 Unknown number:** SURPRISE! *sends selfie from inside the venue*

Donghyuck gasped, then laughed loudly. Of course it was them. Who else? He texted his location, then waited patiently for the cards up his sleave to arrive – 3 special people, who couldn’t be present at the concert, but came there after practice to support the maknae line at Yukhei hyung’s request. That guy was really that whipped for Jungwoo hyung that he listened to everything he’d ask him to do. Wow! Talk about some relationship goals. He sighed. It was cute they had similar interests, unlike him and Mark. That betrayal though. It was a bit difficult to get over it. He stared at the Kakao Talk app. sadly. Not even one word. Asshole.

There was a quiet knock on the door that interrupted his line of thoughts. He got up and opened it, eyes shimmering when he saw Xiaojun, Yang Yang and Hendery smiling back at him. They walked into the room and Donghyuck pretended he didn’t notice that two of them were holding hands tightly. Hendery had both of his arms occupied with some bags that he carelessly threw on the table “These are for you. Jungwoo hyung said it would be a good idea.".

The Dream member started unpacking them one by one and when he noticed what was laid down in front of him, he gasped loudly “No way.”. Yang Yang snickered and picked up an item, before placing it on the other boy’s head “It matches your eyes.”. Xiaojun, who was right next to him, still clinging to his (close) friend, nodded and winked at Donghyuck “You can undress now.”.

Even though he was a bit flustered, he began taking clothing articles off one by one, accepting the other two boys’ help in putting on the dress and black tights, as Hendery was guarding the door. It was quite the view – Donghyuck was sitting on Yang Yang’s lap, supporting his weight with the hands placed on either side of the younger member, while Xiaojun was trying to roll up the tights on his unshaved legs. From the other side of the room, they could hear a loud laugh, as the one left out of it all was crouching and holding his belly, tears in his eyes.

“I hate you all.” the Korean boy muttered, looking down at himself, dressed in a black dress with soft paintings of white flowers on it, struggling to keep his balance on the low heels. On his head he had a brown wig, shoulder length, with messy bangs. Right when he was about to ask them for the rest of the plan, the eldest pulled out a make-up pouch, filled with various items. “Oh, no. Isn’t this enough?” Donghyuck groaned, feeling a strong grip on his shoulder as he was pushed down on a chair by a very enthusiastic Yang Yang. “Jungwoo hyung told us to make sure you’re unrecognizable.” Hendery chirped, supporting his whole weight on the door behind him. The youngest rolled his eyes and interfered, correcting his friend “ – _Cover up all his ugly_ – to be more specific. That’s what he said.”.

Xiaojun signaled him to be quiet (“ _Stop lying. Jungwoo never mentioned that._ ”) and began working on the Dream member’s face. His target was a natural make up that would highlight his beautiful eyes and plump lips (“That’s what we’ve got red lipstick for!” someone noted from the side, but Donghyuck had his eyes closed shut and couldn’t really tell from where it was coming from or who, but he was getting a bit scared. Way V’s maknae line was really no joke. Terrifying.). When it was all done, the elder turned the chair as the rest were clapping their hands in excitement. “You look very pretty!” Hendery mused, pinching the younger’s cheek gently. Donghyuck blushed, something that rarely happened to him, and for a second he actually wondered if his heart had skipped a beat earlier or not.

“Ok. Now you can go and troll them some more. Let’s meet in one hour in the concert hall. We will bring the rest of Dream.” Xiaojun informed him and smirked. The boy looked up at him and was quite surprised. He knew the elder was kind and nice to everyone, even a bit shy, but right now he seemed to have some crazy ideas in his head, that even for his group would be a little too much (“ _Impossible_ ” he heard Jaemin’s voice in his head, followed by Jisung’s and Chenle’s evil laughs). Ok, he was calm again. This was nothing for them. He could do it, maybe even get revenge for what Mark’s done.

Plan B was in motion. Now he was the one smirking.

* * *

Taeyong got to the central room in no time, surprised to find half of NCT standing there. “Where is Doyoung? These brats got him tied up.” he spat out, throwing his arms in the air. “And you wanna take advantage of that?” Yuta grinned and looked up at him, then wiggled his eyebrows. The leader sat down glaring at the Japanese guy the best he could, but his energy was already almost drained from all the running.

“You gotta cut them some slack.” Mark said, hands in his pockets as he leaned closer to the tensed up member “Right now you are the ones acting like kids.”. The older man turned to him, clear annoyance on his face “You are the one responsible for them and you let them turn the concert into a fucking strip show! You can’t tell me how to behave.”.

“Oooh, language~!” Johnny interfered, dodging a pillow thrown at him. “Shut up! You know this is wrong. They already have a crazy amount of sasaengs just by doing the bare minimum! They are exposed. Mark, you should be the one punished for their actions.” Taeyong continued, furrowing his eyebrows, silence settling inside the room, everyone avoiding his piercing gaze.

Suddenly, a weird noise cut through as Jaehyun was working wonders sipping on his straw, even though the plastic glass in his hand was empty “Eeh, I need another one.”. The leader just stared at him, while the rest cracked up at the boy’s weird antics and relaxed attitude. “JUNG JAEHYUN, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS UP FROM THERE AND HELP ME OR YOU SLEEP OUTSIDE FOR A MONTH.” Taeyong finally exploded, but seemingly at the wrong person. The target of his attack just blinked without saying anything. After a little while, he shrugged “I will not join this chaotic mess of – _Catch a Dreamie_ – . I have Pokemon on my phone and it’s less tiring.”. 

The room erupted into roars of laughter, but one member was staying quiet as his mind was slipping off to somewhere. Mark eyed the leader’s pocket, thinking of how to get back Renjun’s phone. His eyes then fixated on Yuta, who had Sicheng on his lap, arms wrapped around his waist. That was not a good idea. The gaze then fell on Taeil who couldn’t be bothered as he munched on some chips he’d bought earlier from the vending machine. He sighed, turning his head towards Johnny who was all too available and able to block any incoming attack from their furious friend, as long as Ten didn’t distract him. Good enough.

“You know what… I am done. You’re right. I am their leader and that tramps my position in any other unit. I have to lead them and if their choice is avoiding you, then that’s what we’re doing.” the Canadian boy started, a serious expression on his face. Taeyong gasped as Mark tackled him to the ground, using his full force to keep him in place and steal the device from his pants. The other NCT members didn’t even flinch as the younger cheered, successfully getting up and running away. When the leader tried to follow, Johnny blocked his way, arms crossed over his chest “I thought it would be fun to play hide and seek together, but this is getting too personal and out of hand.”.

Ten wanted to push the taller guy aside to free the path, but all he got was a fixed glare and a body that wouldn’t even budge a centimetre. “Come on, let them do their thing. Taeyongie hyung knows best how to control his group.” he made another attempt and slightly regretted his choice. Johnny towered over him, face getting closer to his own “Don’t worry. You’ll have your fun. Knowing the Dreamies, this is definitely not over.”. The smaller man moved to sit on the couch, ignoring the blush that crept on his cheeks and Johnny’s seductive smirk.

“I’m too old for this.” Taeyong sighed and his trail of thoughts went back to his best friend “Where’s Youngie anyway?”.

* * *

Meanwhile, Doyoung was snoring as he slept soundly on top of a few pillows, curled up under the blanket. The chains around his arms were no longer that cold.

* * *

Jeno had abandoned the two older members that were with him, to let them prepare the concert hall for the grand finale. He avoided the central room, as they had informed him all the others were gathered there. Maybe this was the right time for him to finally get some sleep. At the end of the hallway, the lights were off and there were two doors facing each other. One of them led to the staircase, while the other led to a waiting room, smaller, but quite isolated it seemed. He sighed and slowly walked towards it, turning the knob carefully.

To his surprise, he found two boys inside, one on top and one under, both with their shirts open. Jaemin had his hands placed on the Chinese member’s hips, holding him close, as the other’s fingers caressed his beautifully shaped abdominal muscles. Their lips were moving against each other, tongues actively fighting for dominance. The younger boy broke the kiss and smirked, palm cupping Renjun’s warm cheek for a moment, only to slide up, fingers combing through silky, dark hair. He pulled the boy on top back towards his mouth, allowing him full access and control.

Unfortunately they couldn’t enjoy it any longer, as the left out member slammed the door shut and glared at them, interrupting their quite sensual activity “What the hell is this?!”. Renjun was blushing furiously and rushed to get off of his (close) friend, fingers fiddling with the buttons in order to cover his exposed skin. Jaemin jumped up, cheerfully running to Jeno and swiping him up in his arms for an embrace.

“Baby, I missed you and I was worried for you!” the youngest chirped, placing an innocent kiss on the other’s cheek. “What is _this_?” the older one asked through gritted teeth, pointing to those two. “Accidentally I have discovered that Renjunnie actually tastes good and we got bored and _this_ happened.” Jaemin replied, shrugging a bit and looking endearingly at his friends.

The Chinese boy just awkwardly stood there, praying for someone to enter the room and stop this bullshit he had gotten himself into. He had known that Jeno and Jaemin kinda had a thing for each other. Come on, it was obvious. But he couldn’t resist his curiosity. So many times he had been close to both of them and every single moment he had wondered what _they_ would be like – together with him. This was a chance for him to test out his thoughts. He had been making out with the younger one for quite a while before they were discovered and he had to admit it felt even better than he thought it would.

Now it only made him sad. It was once again like he was being left out and abandoned, especially since the youngest mentioned he only did it out of boredom. The bad luck of having seven members in their group. Chenle and Jisung were practically joined at the hip, Mark and Donghyuck were always hanging out together since they had more schedules in common, Jeno and Jaemin spent a lot of time riding their bicycles and doing vlives, while he was all on his own. Even during some photoshoots.

When he looked up, he realized he’d been spacing out for too long and the other two boys were staring at him, clear worry in their eyes. “Are you ok?” Jeno asked carefully, in a softer voice this time. Renjun nodded and tried to slip out of the room, but he heard his friends’ phones pinging one after the other. Jaemin pulled it out ( _the device – obviously_ ) and observed the screen for a few seconds, then cheered loudly.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Full Sun**

**23:17**

**Renjunnie:** Hyung is back in the game

 **Renjunnie:** Like… Fuck this shit

 **Renjunnie:** I’m done

 **Full Sun:** Do I have to kick Renjunnie’s number too?

 **Full Sun:** What are you doing on his phone you fucking traitor?

 **Nana:** Kids, come back in 5 minutes

 **Nana:** Commercial break ;)

 **Renjunnie:** Calm down

 **Renjunnie:** I’m with you

 **Renjunnie:** Always and forever

 **Full Sun:** Earlier it didn’t seem like it

 **Full Sun:** We had to survive on our own

 **Full Sun:** Because OUR leader abandoned us

 **Renjunnie:** Hyuckie please

 **Jenojam:** Are we doing the MarkHyuck summer fight concept again?

 **Big Head No.1:** *shudders*

 **Little Chick:** Oh, fuck no

 **Nana:** Jisungie! Language! *growl*

 **Renjunnie:** Donghyuck-ah, give me one more chance

 **Renjunnie:** I have a plan

 **Renjunnie:** Please babe

 **Renjunnie:** Stop leaving me on seen!

**Full Sun has removed Renjunnie from the chatroom Best NCT subunit**

**Nana:** Fuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... This chapter is obviously longer. I wrote it in one go. I just didn't have the heart to split it up in two pieces.  
> Did you all enjoy this part? I tried to insert a little bit more action.
> 
> I swear Jaehyun is a whole mood.  
> RenMin are my new jam (at least here - and I apologize for the little bit of angst).  
> Also, a lot more pairings showed up (it's quite unexpected even for me, honestly - the ideas just rolled in and I had no intention of adding any couples). 
> 
> Tune in for the next one! Have a wonderful day/evening! :3


	3. Behind the scenes with NCT (Dream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun is a broken, young boy, questioning his position within the team. While an unexpected person gives him the support he needs, NCT Dream is getting ready for their concert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a prequel, before I post the last chapter(s). I just got the idea and thought I should explore a bit more the nature of the characters.
> 
> Thank you for all the love for the previous chapters. I hope you also like this one! <3
> 
> T/W: this contains quite a bit of swearing and mentions of sexual (?) things + angst

The practice room had a tense atmosphere as six young boys practiced song after song, fogging the mirrors with their uneven breathing. Outside it was already dark, big clouds covering the moon, preventing any kind of light from slipping through to the ground. The days until their concert were numbered, less than a week until the big meeting with their fans.

Donghyuck was moving around impatiently, waiting for Chenle to get one part of the choreography right. Usually, he danced pretty well, but right now he was one beat behind the rest. Jisung was next to him as a lead example, staring at his reflection as he tested out a few intense expressions at the same time. Renjun was cringing at the maknae’s actions, sitting down in a corner and drinking his water.

His gaze travelled to the opposite part of the practice room, where two of their members were leaning against one another, laughing at the things they kept whispering about. His chest tightened a little and he wasn’t sure why. Those guys were known to have the best relationship from their team, being quite famous even among their fandom. They spent a lot of their freetime together and sometimes also slept in the same bed at the dorms, even if their rooms were supposed to be separate. Jisung didn’t seem to complain too much either when he got kicked out anyway. He just used it as an excuse to go over to Chenle’s place.

The Chinese boy didn’t really know what it was like sharing his space with another. The only moments he got close to that happened when they went abroad, but even so, their manager usually booked rooms with twin beds (to give them less reasons to fight). He longed having a person who only looked at him and chose him over everyone else. It was true, Jeno and Jaemin were not a couple officially and didn’t go overboard with the skinship, but it was pretty clear they had a thing for each other, something special the rest of the team couldn’t even compete with.

As he was staring at his hands, deep in thought, he felt a warm breath near his exposed neck. When Renjun turned his head to look at who was sitting next to him, he froze in his spot, blush creeping on his cheeks. Just inches away was Jaemin’s face, curious eyes exploring his own, before stopping on his plump lips. “Don’t you feel lonely?” the younger asked him, motioning for Jeno to join them too, on the other side of the Chinese member, to which he quickly complied. “I’m fine. We have to practice.” the boy replied and got up in an instant, joining Jisung in his attempts to make Chenle stay on the beat. The other two exchanged looks and frowned at the same time.

After a little while of watching the youngster struggling, they changed the song from We Go Up to 119. For this one, they got the liberty of preparing a choreo on their own (of course, with the management’s approval after it was ready for the show). They included some simple movements and it looked quite good put together, but all of them felt like it was lacking something. Jisung placed his phone in the middle as they all surveyed the recording they’ve taken earlier.

Focused on the screen and busy bickering about the changes they could make, they didn’t hear the door opening and closing. “YO! YO! What are you guys doing?” someone’s voice boomed inside the room and Chenle yelped in surprise, before turning around. Yukhei was smiling down at them, arms naturally swinging to the sides to embrace the youngsters as he crouched behind the group.

“This is actually perfect!” Donghyuck cheered and pushed the phone in front of the older man “Watch this and tell us what is missing.”. All he got was a weird look, but right after, the video was playing again and 7 pairs of eyes were fixed on it. The WayV member kept frowning and making faces while he inspected their choreo, step by step. At the end, he just shook his head and got up to move to the middle of the room “Play the song, you innocent fluffballs”. Chenle stuck his tongue out and hit the button on his laptop.

Yukhei danced with them, but around the one minute mark, he changed the dance moves, his hips popping to the rhythm, the powerful thrusts stopping the others in their tracks. After another few seconds, he did the same part of the choreo as earlier, but added a simple reveal of his abdominal muscles, by lifting his shirt. “You do this.” the eldest said and grinned back at the rest who had their mouths wide open. “You want us to… w-w-what?” Jisung stuttered and shuddered at the thought, but still tried to imitate the man.

“Yes! Just like that! It’s perfect!” a round of applause came from the non-Dream member, motioning for the team to copy what the maknae had just done “That’s the trademark move!”. The boys attempted the altered choreography and discovered they enjoyed it more this way. There was only one problem – who was the one who was going to take his shirt off? They all turned to a flustered Jeno, who kept covering his face with his hands. “Rock, paper, scissors!” he kept yelling, running around the room, one hand in the air, turned into a fist, and away from his friends who were trying to grab his clothes to pull them off.

Soon enough, they settled back on the floor and played a few rounds, Renjun losing each time. His expression was growing darker and darker. His body was nowhere as good as the other’s. There was nothing to show, except for a flat belly with no muscles defined. It would’ve been extremely embarrassing, especially if the fans caught it on camera. Jaemin kept staring at him worriedly, not managing to figure out a thing that was going through his head. He poked Jeno and nodded towards their Chinese member who had just put out rock in front of Donghyuck who had his palm flat in the air. The boy sighed and got up, taking his shirt off “I’ll do it. I have the best abs anyway.”.

“Nah, this is no fun. Let Renjun hyung get out of his clothes.” Chenle interfered and received a hard smack over the head from the said person. Jisung just laughed, as a minor, being a winner by default in the whole thing. Yukhei was next to him, still practicing the hip thrusts to the beat, until it finally matched the maknae’s. “Let’s try it together then.” the eldest suggested, silently checking at the same time if Jeno’s abs were more defined than his own.

* * *

The lights were off and the strong wind was blowing past the white curtains. There was a bit of ruckus down the hall, but no one made any sound inside the room. The boy was hidden from sight under the thick covers, breathing in the lavender perfume from his scented candles above the bed. Those were quite strong. It wasn’t even necessary to light them up to feel their smell. It helped him relax. After such a long period of being under heavy stress, he needed a small relief.

It was difficult being part of such a big team and feeling like you don’t belong. Sure, he hang out with the other Chinese members of NCT and worked hard for his dreams, but sometimes it was like something was missing from his life. His thoughts travelled back to what he had in his mind earlier during practice. Maybe what he needed was a relationship, to be part of a couple. This scared him even more. What if he went on to be with a person, but still felt incomplete? If he was not happy on his own, he would have no guarantee that he’d be with anyone else. And what if he wasn’t good enough to be loved? What if…?

His eyes were stinging a bit, but he didn’t care. He let the tears fall down to the side, wetting his soft pillow. No sounds were escaping his mouth, as everything was being muffled out by the rain outside. Renjun was not comfortable during storms. He jumped every time the inside of his room was filled with the booming of thunders, but he had to teach himself to go through it all on his own, just like it was with rest of the things happening around him. The boy cried even harder, lips trembling and breathing uneven.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated on his nightstand. After unlocking it, he carefully read the messages.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**01:13**

**Full Sun:** Who the hell fed the maknae with chocolate?

 **Full Sun:** I am going to kill you

 **Nana:** Yukhei hyung gave it to him after practice

 **Big Head No.1:** Most importantly, why is Jisungie with you?

 **Hyung:** He came over to steal food

 **Hyung:** Taeyongie hyung made ramyun

 **Nana:** Instant?

 **Hyung:** Nah, you know… we have a healthy lifestyle here

 **Jenojam:** Then why is he the only one there?

 **Full Sun:** We’ll give him back to you gladly

 **Full Sun:** Johnny hyung said he’ll pay you even

 **Nana:** What did he break this time?

 **Hyung:** The water dispenser

 **Jenojam:** ……

 **Jenojam:** But how?

 **Big Head No.1:** It’s Jisung we’re talking about

 **Little Chick:** You guys are just overreacting

 **Little Chick:** No one told me I can’t press both buttons

 **Full Sun:** AT THE SAME TIME

 **Full Sun:** *facepalm*

 **Hyung:** Also, you’re not supposed to put the soda in there

 **Little Chick:** Why? WayV hyungs did it

 **Full Sun:** AND THEY REGRETTED IT FOR A REASON

 **Full Sun:** You’re not even living here

 **Full Sun:** Go break the things in Dreamies’ dorm

 **Nana:** Hey, hey! Don’t jinx it!

 **Jenojam:** Yeah… We kind of ran out of excuses

 **Big Head No.1:** What did you even tell manager hyung about the TV?

 **Hyung:** He broke the TV?!

 **Big Head No.1:** His baseball skills did

 **Nana:** And we blamed Hyuckie

 **Nana:** Saying he got back to the dorms drunk

 **Nana:** Then tripped

 **Nana:** And fell over the TV

 **Jenojam:** Nana… We were going to keep that in between us…

 **Big Head No.1:** *shocked*

 **Little Chick:** :3

 **Full Sun:** YOU WHAT?!

 **Full Sun:** That’s why I had extra hours of practice?!

 **Nana:** Haha! Look at the time!

 **Nana:** Good night, everyone! *kisses*

 **Hyung:** Oh, no. You ain’t sleeping!

 **Hyung:** Come get the baby first!

 **Full Sun:** Yes, yes. Come, come *evil laugh*

 **Nana:** Deal with it *puts on sunglasses*

 **Hyung:** You can’t just leave him here!

 **Full Sun:** NA JAEMIN!

 **Full Sun:** _@Nana_ you are so dead tomorrow

Renjun locked the screen and sighed. He didn’t feel like joining their bickering tonight, although some snarky comments did cross his mind, especially as a reply to Donghyuck’s messages. Laying on his back, he stared at the ceiling and wondered what it would be like if he were somewhere else in that moment – maybe a sunny beach, peaceful and warm, enjoying the songs of the sea as he sipped a nice cocktail. Impossible. A groan escaped his mouth, thinking it would be better if he just went to sleep.

A soft knock could be heard from the other side and without expecting an answer, the person came in, climbing into bed next to the Chinese boy. His eyes grew wider, as Jaemin slipped under the blanket and hugged him tight. “There’s something wrong with you. I can feel it.” the younger muttered into his chest, getting into a more comfortable position. Renjun looked down, pretty tensed up, not knowing how to react or what to say. “Jeno noticed it too and you know he’s usually oblivious.” he continued when the owner of the bed didn’t say a word.

“I’m fine.” the older replied, trying to push off of him all the extra weight, but the grip was too strong. “You’re lying.” Jaemin told him again, this time even more serious, finally changing his stance. He was supporting himself on one elbow, being half on top of his friend, trying to catch his attention. Slowly, he brushed away the silky bangs from the elder’s forehead, fingers going lower to caress his cheeks, lingering just a bit longer over the lips.

Renjun’s heart was beating faster than ever, face burning, while shivers ran down his spine. “Are you jealous, Renjunnie?” the younger asked again, in a softer tone. “Why w-w-would I-I be j-jealous?” he shot back, but it came out as more of a stutter. “Of me and Jeno, probably Chenle and Jisung and I don’t think Mark hyung and Hyuckie really count here. You’ve been spending more and more time on your own.” Jaemin observed, laying down on the other pillow, still very close to the boy, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Ok? I’m tired.” the older said, turning his back towards his friend, to hide the tears forming again in his eyes. His body started to shiver, a signal that it was probably the moment to close the window. He tried to ignore the long sigh and his bed losing weight, as the person got up – at first he suspected the boy had done that to leave the room, but instead, he went to stop the wind from blowing inside. Jaemin joined him again, cuddling him from behind, nose snuggled in the crook of his neck.

“I’m sleeping here tonight. I know that whatever you’re going through you’ll tell me when you’re ready, right?” the younger questioned him and Renjun just nodded weakly, allowing himself to cry. The other massaged his back with his left hand, the right one moving to the front to intertwine his fingers with the Chinese boy’s, tightening the grip.

“We love you, Renjunnie. I really hope you realize we’re actually being honest when we say it.”

* * *

Jeno was getting annoyed already. For the third time that week, his best friend slept with someone else. He even walked in on them as they were all over each other, snoring peacefully and none of them seemed to care that it bothered him. A few days before that, he’d discussed with the younger boy about their member who had been isolating himself more and more and he agreed that they had to do something, but this was going overboard. His bed felt empty. His arms were cold.

The practice room was practically abandoned. The rest were still at the dorms, getting ready probably. He had a previous schedule, some random MC job, so he came straight to the company after that. Just as he was stretching and warming up, the door opened and Donghyuck strolled in, looking quite upset. The other threw him a glance, quietly observing his friend discarding his bag on the floor and sitting down next to it, back against the cold mirror.

Jeno sighed and walked to him, crouching to be at eye level “What happened?”. The younger one ruffled his own hair in frustration and frowned before replying “Mark didn’t want to join the practice today, because hanging out with Johnny hyung was more important. The concert is this weekend!”. The older nodded, understanding completely the situation. He wanted to say something, but the other member continued, this time, his voice reaching a new high “HE HAS TO SUPPORT ME! I am his best friend. If he as much dares to show his face on Saturday…AHHH!”.

“Calm down. Come on. Just because he’s around Johnny hyung, doesn’t mean he thinks less of you.” the boy tried to relax him, hitting a new realization himself. Donghyuck just stared at him now, hugging his knees to his chest. “Honestly… I’ve also been a bit stuck these days. Jaeminnie is constantly with Renjun. They’re even sleeping together. It pisses me off.” Jeno admitted, chewing nervously on his lower lip. “But… Weren’t the two of you a couple?” the other asked, looking at him with a very confused expression on his face. “No. Even if we have confessed, we have agreed to be just friends. – _It’s better than possibly ruining this good connection that we share_ – that’s what Jaemin said…” the older muttered, his eyes getting a bit sad during the last part of his sentence.

Donghyuck hummed, having a better understanding of the current situation, head resting against the mirror “You’re both idiots then.”. His friend laughed, pitying himself more than ever. It sounded even more stupid when he said everything out loud. “Can’t help it. Maybe he doesn’t like me enough and doesn’t want to hurt me by saying that. Maybe he is in love with Renjun and too scared to admit it to me. He’s mentioned this week a few times that he’s worried about him…” Jeno continued, but before the other could reply, the door to the practice room opened and they could see Jaemin walking in happily, arms linked with Renjun’s.

Not caring whether the rest heard him or not, Donghyuck pat his friend on the back, smiling at him sympathetically “You’re in deeper shit than I am.”.

* * *

On the night of the concert, all the members of NCT Dream were quite nervous. They’ve practiced the choreographies and songs for thousands of times probably, but performing in front of the fans always made their hearts beat a bit faster. Backstage, they were getting dressed and professionals were taking care of their hair and make-up.

Donghyuck was still a bit pissed at Mark, but they were talking now, exchanging messages before the show. It was just a few minutes before 17 o’clock. Jisung and Chenle were playing enthusiastically PUBG on their phones, poking and kicking each other in the process, trying their best to win. Jaemin was chatting with Renjun and they were both laughing, the staff members joining in from time to time to address their nice chemistry or tease them.

One boy was arranging his shirt, straightening the buttons and cuffs. He was boring holes into the heads of his two colleagues, weird tension rising up in between the three of them. His daze was interrupted by a strong hit on the back of his neck. “What the hell?!” he growled looking behind him to see who had the courage to strike like that.

The other grinned, grabbing Jeno’s wrist and pulling him out of the waiting room. “You’re not getting anywhere by just staring at them like the idiot that you are.” Donghyuck stated, when they were further enough from the door. “I don’t know what you mean by that.” the older grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. There was a flick on his forehead, leaving a big red spot right in the middle of it. “Ow! Will you stop hitting me?!” he thundered, placing the cold hand over his sore skin, to ease the pain.

“No. I am okay with Markie now, but you keep on living up to the nickname – NO FUN Jeno.” the younger replied, pushing the said boy against the wall “Either ignore whatever’s going on or join them. Maybe three is not a crowd in this case.”. Jeno looked him in the eyes and frowned, being a bit annoyed by the fact that Donghyuck was quite right.

He was only hurting himself by acting like this. His feelings for Jaemin were not going away. His jealousy was a proof of it even. Moreover, he didn’t tell his best friend what had been bothering him. Maybe if they talked about this they could solve it and go back to having a good relationship as before. Except, Renjun was still there and wasn’t going away. If he thought about it, he didn’t dislike the idea of being around the Chinese boy. What he didn’t like was sharing Jaemin’s attention with someone who greedily took almost all of it.

“Sooo…?” the younger interrupted his thinking, staring at him expectantly. “After the concert.” Jeno replied, as he dragged him back to the where the others were, Donghyuck making some indecipherable sounds on the way.

* * *

The performances were going quite well, everyone giving their best to fill their respective roles. Knowing that those powerful screams and chants were for them, gave the boost they needed to go on. Everything was right on point: their hairstyles were holding, the make-up was water resistant, so the staff didn’t have to do too many retouches, their costumes were comfortable enough to do the choreographies and move around, the sound system was perfect and so on.

It was around 19:30 and they took the break that was during the middle of the concert, to cool off before they continued with 119, Chewing Gum and Puzzle Piece. The waiting room was quite empty, as their team gave them a little bit of air. They knew what they had to do and already got dressed for the next part of the show, just so they could rest in peace for a few minutes (or whatever that means in NCT Dream’s vocabulary).

Jaemin sat down on the couch next to Jeno, who was quite focused on something on his phone. His best friend didn’t even bother lifting his head to look at him, so the younger started talking “I don’t hear much from you these days…”. The other scoffed, this time turning to glare at the one on his left “Did you even bother checking?”. “What is that supposed to mean?” Jaemin asked a bit confused and defensive, trying to make out something of the older’s intense gaze. “Nothing. Are you supposed to be away from Renjun’s side for this long?” Jeno spat out, before getting up to leave the room, his friend just staring incredulously at his retreating back.

Seconds away from reaching the door, he heard a high-pitched scream and turned around to make sure that everyone was ok. He saw Chenle jumping up and down on one couch, a suspicious phone in his hand. Jisung was trying to pull him down next to him, clinging helplessly to his legs. “I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS! OMG!” the Chinese boy yelled again, as all the attention was shifted to him. He finally allowed the maknae to change his position, asking him to read something together and it took a while for the rest to realize what was actually happening.

 **Jisung** : I can’t wait to see you tonight

 **Jisung:** You’ll be stunning as always

The boy cringed and allowed the other to continue:

 **Chenle:** If you cheer for me properly

 **Chenle:** I might even give you a prize *wink*

 **Jisung:** If it is that thing you do with your tongue

 **Jisung:** I won’t be able to speak for days

 **Chenle:** I’ll even call you ‘hyung’ this time

 **Chenle:** Especially when I go down on you

Jaemin rose to his feet, walking fast towards the youngsters to put an end to the embarrassing exchange. He tried to take the phone away, telling them it is not appropriate to read someone’s private conversations, but the two were running around, still enjoying their respective roles.

 **Jisung:** Will you let me pull your hair this time?

 **Chenle:** Yes, baby

 **Chenle:** *smirk* I’ll ride you till morning even

Renjun was laughing loudly, trying hard not to fall out of his chair, especially when he’d realized who the device belonged to “You two are so fucking dead.”. Jeno’s eyes were as big as saucers, deciding it would be for the best to help his best friend catch the two little devils.

 **Chenle:** And suck you off like a champion

 **Jisung:** Mhmm, can’t wait to feel your mouth

 **Jisung:** Around my-

Before they could continue, a loud scream pierced their ears. Donghyuck was standing in the doorway, his face as red as a tomato, hands rolled into fists “I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU!”. He jumped on Jisung, trying to get his phone back, by securing the other’s wrists, but the boy slid it on the floor towards Chenle, who enthusiastically picked it up.

 **Chenle:** Your cock is fucking Heaven

 **Chenle:** I am so lucky that I get to fuck you

 **Chenle:** If you ever choose to go out with Johnny

 **Chenle:** Instead of me

 **Chenle:** You’re not getting a taste of this ass again

In the end, Jaemin managed to catch the other member from the youngsters’ line, by pushing him down, then allowing Jeno to lock him in his arms. The Chinese boy was reluctant on giving away the device at first, but Donghyuck’s expressions stopped him from making any movements. Right when the older was about to get his revenge, a staff member came inside the room to tell them their break was over.

As the boys were making their way towards the stage Chenle suffered a few pinches and headlocks, not being as lucky as Jisung who was being carefully protected by Jaemin (“It is your fault for leaving your phone unlocked! My baby is innocent!” he’d told his very angry older member). As they got into positions, their hearts were thumping against their chests. It was finally the moment for the big reveal.

Jeno looked towards the rest and smiled pitifully “Say your prayers, guys. It’s showtime.”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could have added a bit more scenes with RenMin, but I also wanted to focus on the other members and Jeno's true feelings (+ his friendship with Hyuckie is goals).   
> ChenJi are being a bit of a mess and I'm loving it.   
> Sorry for the angst. :( 
> 
> Hope that you all enjoyed reading this one. :3 Tune in for the next! <3   
> Have a nice day/evening!


	4. How to infuriate your hyungs 101 feat. NCT (Dream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The older members have to deal with the consequences of chasing the Dreamies for so long. While Mark makes an interesting discovery, Renjun, Jaemin and Jeno have to face the demons they've been struggling with for so long. 
> 
> T/W: this contains quite a bit of swearing + angst (again... I know T-T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the love for the previous chapters! :3  
> I really enjoy writting this series and I am a bit proud of myself for keeping it up (it's been a few years since I've actually posted a ff).  
> Really, really, I hope you also like this one. <3  
> It means a lot to me - I just want to make people smile these days...

The waiting room was pretty cold and abandoned. The lights were off and the only sound filling the space was Doyoung’s even breathing. Somehow, whenever there was something happening with NCT he was one of the collateral victims and usually the attacker was part of the maknae line (mostly Donghyuck) or his best friend Taeyong. His phone was vibrating on a side table aggressively, but the boy didn’t move an inch for what seemed like hours. It didn’t help the fact that thick chains were holding him in place and the tape over his mouth was preventing him from asking for help.

Finally, his eyes slowly opened, trying to adjust to the darkness around him. Right at that moment, a ray of light split his surroundings and a tall, slim figure entered the room. Doyoung realized the opportunity that hit him and started moaning loudly (really, he was just trying to make sounds to alert the other of his presence behind the clothing racks). The switch was turned on, soft steps heading towards the corner at an steady pace right after.

Soon enough, the tied up man saw two dimples looking down at him as Jaehyun smiled, eyes shimmering from behind his glasses. The younger began freeing his friend from the chains, watching him cringe a bit when he ripped off the tape. “Finally! Did you all even look for me? I must have spent ages in here!” Doyoung exclaimed pushing the blanket off of him. The boy was just typing something on his phone, seemingly ignoring his worries. “Well, everyone was chasing the Dreamies and I was… busy.” Jaehyun replied, his full attention back to the one in front of him, face flushing for a few seconds.

“Busy doing what? I hope it’s related to catching those brats! I will fuck-“ the older started, furrowing his brows, lips tight in a thin line, annoyance clear on his soft features. “Eeh, I was drinking tea and watching Taeyongie hyung run around the place.” the other spoke gently, pouting a bit and almost missing Doyoung’s frustrated expression as he processed what the younger was telling him. “YOU WERE SIPPING DRINKS?! THIS IS FUCKING CHAOS AND OUR SWEET JAEHYUNNIE IS BUSY WITH HIS TEA!” his friend screamed, jumping to his feet, ready to push the said boy into the nearest wall “IS THIS A FUCKING JOKE TO YOU?!”.

Doyoung’s face was very close to his, fingers wrapped around the collar of the jacket, as he was being held in place. The glasses were sliding down on his nose a bit, giving him a better view into the other’s brown eyes, filled with anger and discontent. His hand went up, grabbing the older’s wrist to pull it a bit to the side, to make way for his head to move forward. Their lips were inches apart and it was time to cut the tension short. “Hyung, if I get involved in this, it will be over in minutes. I’m not in the mood though and I can’t find a reason to do so.” Jaehyun stated as relaxed as one could be, enjoying the blush that was creeping on his friend’s cheeks.

“T-T-They tied me up and abandoned me. Probably d-d-drove the rest n-nuts as well.” Doyoung stuttered, trying to shy away from the younger’s face, but wasn’t able to. “Ok. If you ask me to catch them… I will do it for you. But wouldn’t it be better if we both went to the caffé?” the other continued, smirking a bit, before allowing his gaze to fall on the lips of the one in front of him. He bit his own seductively, inch by inch, closing the distance in between them. The older yelped and broke the hold, his white skin being red as a tomato and his hands still shaking from the touch.

“OK. OK. OK. OK. Tea sounds GREAT!” Doyoung replied, at the end of his sentence, his voice going a few notches higher. Jaehyun just chuckled, being more focused on the other’s nervousness than the fast beating of his own heart.

* * *

Kun ran as fast as he could, looking for Jaemin and Renjun in every dark corner of the venue. As he passed through the concert hall, he could see Jungwoo and Lucas setting something up on the stage, but didn’t pay much attention to it. Yang Yang and Xiaojun were cuddling somewhere in the seats from the front row, while Hendery seemed to be testing something on a laptop. Irrelevant. He went back to check the waiting rooms once more, expecting to find some trace of the youngsters, but they seemed to have vanished into thin air. His back was hurting a little from the strong hit he got earlier, so he just sat on the couch in the hallway to rest for a bit.

Suddenly, as he watched staff gather different items to put them in their respective boxes, an idea passed through his head. He pulled out his phone searching for a picture of the Dreamies. Then, the man got up going towards a girl that was sorting out some wires. “Excuse me, have you seen these two boys in the last few minutes?” he asked politely, pointing to the ones that got away from him moments before this. She scanned the picture for a bit, then nodded excitedly “I saw them go to the exit that takes you to the rooftop.”.

Kun thanked her and chuckled diabolically, before heading with powerful steps in the direction of the said door. He went up, running out of breath as soon as he got to the outside space. It was rather cold and the poor man was wearing only a black shirt, that stuck to his skin from all the sweating. He scanned his surroundings, checking behind each block of concrete and near the railways as well. Nothing popped up, so he went back down. “They must have left…” he muttered more to himself, as no one was next to him, prepared to try again.

After some time, it got very tiring. Each team member he’d asked, sent him in a different direction and he began to be a bit suspicious of their credibility. Being back in the hallway, he took his previous place on the couch, eyeing confusedly their manager, who was just laughing as he sipped his warm coffee. The blanket was still around his body. “What is it, hyung?” Kun finally questioned him.

The man stared at him in amusement “Doesn’t it seem weird to you that they all had various versions of the same story? If Jaeminnie and Renjun passed by here, they must have gone in the same direction and all the staff must have seen the same thing.”. The other furrowed his eyebrows, still not getting where his manager was trying to go with this “Your point?”.

Another laugh escaped his mouth “Chenle paid all of them, but if it is of any help, I saw Jisung go outside through the backdoor.”. Kun’s jaw fell to the ground and even though a ton of curses crossed his mind, he didn’t let any of it escape his lips. Instead, he just muttered a “Thank you.” and left to do one final check.

The boy exited the venue and panicked a little when he saw all the fans gathered around, but tried to pass by them without attracting any attention. Unfortunately, the door screeched as it closed behind him and the group turned towards him, loud screaming filling the space around. “Oh, shit.” Kun exclaimed and tried to go back, but the handle was stuck (probably someone locked it from inside “ _Damn, Chenle. Did you pay them for this too?_ ”). “It’s him! Why are you harassing Jisungie? He told us all about it!” one woman yelled and they were all getting closer and closer. He felt his heart beating faster, trying hard to find a way out of the current situation.

Then, he spotted their black car behind the fans and he ran towards it without giving this a second thought, getting inside almost instantly, as he pushed off the hands that were pulling at his clothes “Aaaah!”. When the fans finally let go, he shut the door, locking it. For a few seconds, he sat in silence, struggling to process what was happening to him. “Why was the car open?” he questioned out loud and checked the front seats, as well as the ones behind him. It was empty. Then, he noticed a note on the steering wheel “ _I asked hyung to leave it unlocked for you. ^^ You won’t be getting out too soon, most probably, so I put my iPad under the pink blanket, for you to use. XOXO – Jisung_ ”.

Kun screamed from the top of his lungs, refusing to look at the girls who were still chanting from behind the windows “ _Leave the Dreamies alone._ ”. He sighed and picked up the device from the spot the maknae had written about. It had no password, so it was rather easy to get in. Instead of staring at the main menu of it, there was a video left on pause, around the one minute mark. It seemed to be filmed in the practice room with their youngsters and _Lucas._

He hit play and instantly regretted it. The video was stuck on a loop for the same 10 seconds in which the Dreamies were doing the hip thrusts, followed by Jeno’s flip and pulling off his shirt, a proud older (already half-naked) member directing them from the middle, as 119 played in the background. The man growled and shut off the iPad, pulling out his own phone, muttering under his breath “Of course it’s him. Where it’s trouble, it’s Yukhei.”.

**23:31**

**To Tyong Leadernim:** I’m stuck in the car, surrounded by a crowd of crazies. Don’t trust the staff. They’re paid off. Find them quickly. I’m searching Google for a fucking exorcist!

* * *

“It’s good. I feel better now.” the boy stated, drinking calmly his warm coffee “Thank you.”. Jaehyun smiled at him, taking in the beautiful view: Doyoung’s face was lit up by his good mood, cheeks tinted a bit red, plump lips slightly parted and black bangs falling over his forehead. He was mesmerizing. “I told you so.” the younger replied, sticking his tongue out. As they were walking towards the resting area, where the rest of the group was waiting, they heard some ruckus down the hallway, but didn’t pay much attention to it.

When they got close enough to the other members, the older just scanned his surroundings and asked patiently “Where’s Taeyongie?”. His two friends looked at each other, then back at him, with amused expressions. “Well, there was this whole chaos with him being betrayed by Mark and going to look for him.” Johnny told him, shrugging as he lounged comfortably on the black couch. “He also got a message from Kunnie. Chenle and Jisungie trolled him apparently. Yuta hyung and Sicheng went to save him.” Ten continued, popping potato chips in his mouth after each phrase, seemingly completely satisfied with the sour taste (“Who even enjoys vinegar as a flavor?! Devil’s spawn!” the eldest of them stated, shuddering at the simple thought of it as he pointed to the other.).

As soon as the member finished what he was saying, they heard a screech and Chenle appeared from behind a corner, jumping from couch to couch, not caring there were people seated there, in an attempt to get away from his hyung. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Doyoung yelled, guarding his coffee and trying to make up something of whatever was going on. “I lost our little Canadian friend, but ran right into our maknaes as I was coming back.” Taeyong cheered, still trying hard to catch the Chinese boy, breathing uneven.

Chenle hid behind Johnny, swaying from side to side as a try to fight off the hands that were reaching for him. The eldest tried to keep their leader away, by guarding the youngest with all of his body. Unfortunately, he got distracted when Taeil dropped on the table, that was in the middle of the room, a handful of snacks for them to chew on (“Oh my God! You got jelly bears!” Ten exclaimed, looking the happiest anyone can be. “It’s gummy bears, you idiot. If you say it in English, at least say it right.” Johnny complained, fighting over the small package with his friend.). Taeyong managed to slip his fingers over the tallest boy’s head, clinging to the Dream member’s shirt, pulling him off the couch.

The younger shrieked and pushed the other with his feet, escaping the strong grasp. He jumped up, ready to run away, but one miscalculation messed up his whole plan. The leader grabbed his ankle, tripping him in the process. Chenle lost his balance, leaning forward, falling right on top of Jaehyun, warm coffee wetting both of their clothes.

The room went completely silent, as no one made a move this time. It was pretty common knowledge that it was rather dangerous to play with the man’s nerves. He cared a lot about his drinks and more importantly, he paid a lot of attention to his clothes and wished for everything to be impeccable. Also, if you wanted to joke around with him, you’d better get ready for Hell unleashed. One wrong move and you’d pray to be more dead than alive. That’s why Jaehyun rarely joined some of their games and pranks – he could get quite aggressive and competitive, the type that’d make you scared to be around.

Chenle got up, eyes fixated on the man that was still on the ground, slowly backing away from the whole group. “Ummm… I think you’d better run.” Ten plainly stated as their friend lifted himself, staring murderously at his dirty white shirt. The Chinese boy screeched and made another attempt to go as far as possible, this time even Taeyong standing still and not trying to stop him. “YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY, ZHONG CHENLE! AT LEAST NOT ALIVE!” Jaehyun thundered, throwing the empty cup towards the said boy and jumping to his feet.

* * *

Mark and Donghyuck were nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, the boys had to be careful where they were looking as to not come face to face with their older members. The group chat was rather inactive since the latter had kicked their leader out and no one was saying anything else. Jisung and Chenle were probably safe though. They had their ways, always figuring out how to get out of tense situations and this was no exception.

Renjun was trailing close behind his two friends, still ashamed of what he had done earlier and having no courage to bring it up in any way. Jeno and Jaemin were talking, the conversation being rather intense as the older seemed to be trying hard not to raise his voice. He couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, piecing together the bits that slipped through, making his heart drop even more at the accusations brought upon him. All the judging and harsh words thrown around hit him pretty hard, but he had to stick with them anyway (though right now it seemed ten times better to be caught again by Kun or Taeyong).

This had brought him back to the beginning. Of course if he had to choose, Jaemin would go for Jeno. Most probably he wasn’t even an option, just a toy to pass the time playing with, when the other was not available. The saddest thing was that he actually came to enjoy the company. The week before the concert was the happiest he’d felt in months. The younger really lifted his mood, hugged him as he cried, cooked him his favourite food just to make him eat something, slept with him so he felt less alone and the best of it all – he made it seem like he actually cared.

Right now, Renjun was no longer sure of that. He just wanted to slip away, go home and climb into his bed, pull the covers over his head and sleep till afternoon. The others just had to drag him into this complete mess that seemed to have ruined their team anyway – four of them were fighting/not really talking to each other and he was being alienated again (mostly his own fault for this one). Jeno seemed extremely upset with what he’d seen earlier and Jaemin was just shrugging it off as nothing much. The Chinese boy didn’t know which one of them was right. He just wanted to be excluded from that certain conversation.

A high pitched scream interrupted the bickering, stopping them in their tracks. Jeno carefully peeked around the corner, watching Chenle as he fell on one of their members, turning the latter’s white shirt totally black, cup laying on top completely drained of all liquid. “Oh, no.” the boy whispered and turned with a mortified expression towards the other two “We have to hide right now.”. “Again? Why?” Jaemin questioned, pouting a little as he wanted to get this over with faster. Jaehyun’s booming voice made them all freeze in their spots. “That’s why.” Jeno replied.

“Ok. Let’s go.” the younger of the three stated, pulling his friends by the wrists towards the opposite direction. Behind them, they could hear some sort of war going down, but it was too risky to get involved. Better save whatever they could after everyone calmed down. The angry member was known to be one of the most devious and when he got really fired up, it was better not to stand in his way. So, they wanted to go back to the waiting room they’ve abandoned earlier, knowing that it will be safe there since the rest were rather busy (probably helping poor Chenle not get murdered in seconds).

Before they could go on with their plan though, they saw the said victim following them, his small feet going at full speed, as the older trailed off close behind. “GO AWAY! DON’T CONDEMN ALL OF US FOR YOUR MISTAKE!” Renjun yelled, staring over his shoulder at Chenle who looked downright terrified. All of them took turn after turn, cursing the company for encouraging Jaehyun to work out and practice so much. His stamina was no joke, while at least half of them were already getting exhausted.

“I’M SO SORRY, BUT SURVIVAL COMES FIRST!” the Chinese younger boy replied and tripped one of them, getting past unapologetically towards the hallway that led to the concert hall. Jaemin fell over, letting go of both of the hands he was holding, signaling for his friends to go ahead, when they stopped for a second to lift him up. The two threw each other a short look, before escaping to safety together. Fortunately, Jaehyun didn’t seem to care much about the boy on the ground, increasing his speed even more as he tried to keep up with the one who spilled his coffee.

Their leader was close behind them, trapping Jaemin in his arms, when he found him still on the floor. Poor boy was just catching his breath, being thankful that he was able to cheat death one more time. “Hello, cutie.” Taeyong chirped, pulling the younger to his feet and dragging him back to the resting area “Let’s have a talk.”.

* * *

After getting rid of the older member that was following him, Mark just wandered around, feeling a lot safer than the others, as the only one who had a problem with him was their leader. He was pretty upset over the fight he had with his best friend and that he got kicked out of the group, now looking for ways to find him and make up with him. Just before the show they were on pretty good terms, but one wrong move from him and everything was wasted now.

Mark didn’t know how to explain their relationship, since he wasn’t even sure of the status they had. They were close enough to prank each other and not get upset, to have late night talks about deep stuff, but also sit in comfortable silence or just sing songs together – things that normally good friends could do. At the same time, they could fool around, making out and teasing each other, until one of them would give up and suggest getting laid – things that lovers could do. It was weird, but the link they shared didn’t have one specific label and they’d never even tried to address it in any way before.

Donghyuck was the type to get jealous though (and was also well known for making quick assumptions and having a short temper). Mark didn’t mind it at all. He was pretty cool about anything and anyone, not paying much attention to it when the other kept telling him “Stop going out with X member.” or “Why do you hang out so much with X member?”, although the cutest phrase he’d ever heard him say was “I’ll make you regret it if you don’t give me the love I deserve.”. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the last one, remembering how soft and warm it made him feel when the younger complained about this for the first time.

They were definitely more than friends. Mark was sure of that. It wasn’t just him that placed Donghyuck a few miles before the rest in his heart. By the way the boy treated him it was pretty obvious how much he also cared about him. Maybe that was why he must have felt so betrayed when the older sided with their leader for a moment. But he could understand Taeyong’s position and, honestly, he just wanted them to stop fooling around so they could go home and get that well deserved rest (also a bit of kissing and cuddling was on his agenda, but, really, he wasn’t going to admit to that out loud).

All he could do now was try and persuade his best friend that things weren’t the way he’d thought. So, he pulled out his phone and dialed a pretty familiar number, hoping this time his call would get answered. After a few failed attempts and pleading messages sent to the other, they finally got connected, but not with the best possible energy.

“ _What do you want?_ ” he heard the voice on the other line, as he sighed in relief. “Tell me where you are.” Mark inquired in a steady voice, ignoring the tone Donghyuck had used on him. He was definitely pissed off and not willing to forgive him that easily. “ _So you could rat me out to Taeyongie hyung? Hell to the no!_ ” the younger attacked, not hesitating at all. The other turned a corner, preparing to take the elevator to go to a lower level, where the Dreamies supposedly started from. “Come on. Don’t be like this. I want to help.” he replied, nervously pressing the buttons.

The doors slid open and the sight in front of him, almost caused Mark to drop his phone to the ground. His friend was standing inside, dressed as a girl, brown locks falling over his shoulders, lightly swaying as he lifted his head to look back at him. “Wha-“ the older gaped, shutting down the call and getting inside. His heart skipped a few beats while staring at the beautiful figure before him, phone still clutched tight as he was thinking whether this was the best moment to take a picture or not. “Don’t even start.” Donghyuck growled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You look… pretty.” the Canadian boy stated plainly, now trying to hold back his laughter. “I am going to seriously kill you… for more than one reason.” the other replied, turning to glare at the one next to him, as the elevator started moving. “I missed you too.” Mark grinned and wrapped an arm around the boy’s waist, pulling him closer to look better at his face. Donghyuck fought back, trying hard to push him away, furrowing his eyebrows in pure annoyance.

“Let me go, you freak! I should kick your ass just for testing my patience with those messages.” he spat out, finally breaking out of the strong hold the other had on him. “I’ve already said I was sorry! Do you want me to beg?” the older questioned, staring at him in disbelief. “Yes.” came the reply, seemingly cold and calculated.

Mark groaned, massaging his temples already feeling a possible headache creeping in “Not gonna happen.”. “Then you can get your ass out of this elevator and go to someone who actually cares, ‘cause I don’t.” Donghyuck shot back as soon as the doors slid open, pointing in the direction of the empty hallway. “Come here and shut up.” the older said, cupping his friend’s cheeks in both of his hands, ignoring all the protests and soft punches to his sides, as he forced the other to look up at him. “I’m the leader still, so you gotta listen to me, Hyuck-ah. Whether you like it or not.” he continued, feeling the said boy’s body relaxing in his hold.

“To be clear – we’re just colleagues. I don’t consider you a friend anymore.” the younger stated, pushing him off rather violently and walking towards the staff’s main room, to gather what he needed for his plan, Mark following close behind, letting out a soft chuckle as a thought crossed his mind – “ _Me neither. I think we’re definitely more than that._ ”.

* * *

The park in front of the venue was pretty empty and it probably had to do with the fact that it was almost midnight. The boys were sitting on a bench, next to each other, not uttering a single word. To get a moment of silence, they decided it would be better to come to this place, since most of the action was happening inside, where they were safe from any curious looks from passersby or fans.

Renjun was chewing on his lower lip, nervously, waiting for his friend to have some sort of reaction or at least something to say to him, but nothing was coming out. His hands were slightly shaking from the cold – poor judgement from their side – going outside as thinly dressed as them. Jeno seemed to notice that, moving closer and wrapping his fingers around the Chinese boy’s small fists, eliciting a loud gasp from him also.

They exchanged looks, the younger fixating with his gaze the one next to him, finally opening his mouth to speak “What’s been going on with you lately?”. Renjun just stared at him in shock, expecting all sorts of other questions (mostly related to his relationship with Jaemin), but certainly not this one. His brain didn’t take too long react though “Nothing.”. Jeno sighed deeply, not backing down for a second though “You’re acting weird. Why?”. “I have already said it’s nothing.” his friend answered, sounding even less believable this time and extremely defensive.

The younger narrowed his eyes, then tightened the hold he had on the boy’s hands “What happened to us, Renjun-ah? We used to be really close…”. Hearing these words, the other suddenly choked up, not being able to fight all the tears that began streaming down his face. He didn’t move an inch as he felt his heart sinking, memories of them together coming back up to hit him in waves. It was so long ago and he had pushed every single thought of it to the back of his head to kill the pain of losing someone, just to watch them be happy with another.

One in particular was messing with his emotions exceptionally well. It happened during their last summer, as they were intensely preparing for a comeback. Since they had been training all day long and wanted a little break from everything, the boys decided to make a run for it. In the middle of the night, they went to Han River, with their backpacks full, feeling as if they’d escaped from a real prison. The ground was warm, as the sun had been shining from early morning till it set. They got a blanket to share and fried chicken, soft music playing on one of their phones and at some point Renjun had to wonder if this was what would feel like dating Jeno.

For hours they watched the stars, laying next to each other, cuddled up underneath the soft material, talking about their hopes and dreams, how they wanted to keep this friendship for a really long time, since it was perfect. As Renjun was floating in his memories, enjoying again the warmth of Jeno’s arms wrapped around his small frame, one familiar face popped up, shattering the beautiful picture in his head.

“Jaemin happened.” he finally muttered, mustering the courage to look up at the one next to him to see his reaction. Jeno seemed a bit shocked, as realization was slowly hitting him and he couldn’t be anything else but understanding, as he was trying to pinpoint an exact moment that broke them apart “I shouldn’t have told you… that I liked him.”. “Probably. I would have stuck to you longer then.” the older admitted, leaning into his friend’s gentle embrace as an arm was placed around his shoulders “I just wanted for you to have a real chance with your crush and I didn’t think that you dragging me along whenever you two went out was the way to it.”. Sitting like this, it was almost like that night again. The only issue was this dreadful conversation.

“I shouldn’t have let you drift away like that though. I was so focused on being around Jaemin that I didn’t notice you were not there.” Jeno spoke out, voice tinted with sadness and disappointment. His head hung low, refusing to meet Renjun’s eyes and face the tears that were still streaming down the poor boy’s face. Slowly and carefully, he opened his mouth to continue “And now I really feel like a fucking asshole. I’m really sorry…”. “It’s not your fault I’m a mess. I honestly kissed him back because I was tempted and jealous. I wanted to see what was so special about him, what made you like him so much…” the Chinese boy replied, receiving a questionable look from his friend.

Their bodies were glued together, sharing the warmth. Jeno was a bit confused regarding the situation that had been going on, but for the moment it seemed to him that he had neglected his friendship with Renjun for so long, being too focused on getting somewhere with Jaemin, that the poor boy felt like an outcast and abandoned. It was not fair. He was always so sincere and pure, that right now the younger could only drown in deep remorse for causing him such pain.

They used to be so close, quite similar to what he had now with the youngest of them three (if not even better), practicing and going out to eat together, shopping, playing games. He had only realized now that the changes that took place and didn’t affect him negatively, did so to someone else he cared about. Truth be told, he had noticed something was wrong with Renjun, long before Jaemin mentioned it, but refused to acknowledge it, being aware deep down of the fact that he also had to face his own wrongdoings and take responsibility for them.

The Chinese boy didn’t deserve it and now it felt even more uncalled for the fact that Jeno lashed out at him for kissing their friend and spending time with him, when it was exactly what him and Jaemin had done for a longer period, ignoring Renjun’s suffering. Talking about karma… He almost wanted to laugh at how the wheel had turned. Also, the youngest must have suspected something and was probably way smarter than both of them. He suddenly felt like a player losing at his own game.

The older’s hands were still shivering, so Jeno began caressing the soft skin, to warm them up. “Can I say something?” he suddenly asked, receiving a soft hum as a sign to continue “I like both you and Jaemin. Over this past week, he’s been really good to me and it sort of changed how I saw him. You don’t know for how long I have despised him for being the subject of your affection. My crush was crushing on someone else and that certain person happened to be liked and supported by everyone.”. A deep sigh escaped his lips, as he was avoiding his friend’s intense gaze.

Jeno was trying to process everything he had just heard, feeling the heart in his chest beat faster and hurt at the same time. “Renjun-ah… I-” the younger began in a soft, gentle voice, grasping the said one’s hands even tighter, only to be interrupted. “It doesn’t matter, really. I just thought you’d turn me down – basically for the same reasons Jaemin did to you.” he replied, shrugging a bit, before relaxing back into the boy’s warm embrace.

“I promise I won’t leave you ever again, regardless of what happens in between the three of us.” Jeno stated, looking into the older’s eyes, a serious expression on his face. He felt really emotional and even though a few hours ago all he wanted was to go home and sleep, now he was pretty glad he didn’t do it. “Somehow, he did bring the two of us back together. It’s a bit suspicious how he refused to get up even though we had enough time.” Renjun observed, eyes narrowing a bit as he was trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle in their respective places.

The younger chuckled “Only now you’ve realized that?”. His friend gasped out loud and playfully punched him in the shoulder. Jeno caught his fist and pulled him closer, forcing the other to actually look into his eyes this way round “Next time you’re crushing on someone, promise me you’ll tell them.”. Renjun’s eyes grew wider, blush creeping on his cheeks as their faces were only inches apart, but he still managed to answer “You, stupid. It’s still you.”. His friend smiled fondly and hugged him so tight, the Chinese boy could actually feel their hearts beating next to each other.

“I don’t deserve someone like you, Renjun-ah.” the youngest of the two mumbled as his nose was snuggled in the crook of the other’s neck, trying to fight back his own tears. His thoughts were a mess and right in that moment he was reconsidering all of his actions and emotions. What if…

“We’ll talk more later. We have something to do now. Let’s find the rest.” the older cut him off, gently pushing Jeno’s body away and refusing to meet his eyes. The boy nodded and they both quietly got up. As they were walking back towards the venue, Renjun stared at his freezing hands, his friend’s touch still lingering on top of them. He looked up at the one next to him and for a moment wondered if this time he felt the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? I hope you've enjoyed reading this!  
> I know it's a bit sad towards the end, but let's all think positive!  
> This is not the end! >:) (I am honestly so excited for NoRenMin.)  
> Also, it's been a treat teasing so many couples in this - DoJae is honestly my guilty pleasure and I can't wait to portray more of them in this. 
> 
> Tune in for the next! Have a nice day/evening! :3


	5. Introduction to the marvelous ideas of Lee Donghyuck (part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle proves his power to the hyung-line, in his attempt at saving the Dreamies. Meanwhile, Mark and Donghyuck are #couplegoals. 
> 
> T/W: this contains quite a bit of swearing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for supporting and reading the previous chapters! <3 
> 
> Ok. So I know it's a double post tonight, but I wrote this in one go and I thought it was a bit too long to post as one chapter, so here we are..  
> This is a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it. :3

“I AM NOT SUSPICIOUS! What the fuck are you doing?!” Kun screamed in frustration, watching the screen as the team voted him off as the impostor “You’re all fucking idiots.”. He was curled up on the backseat, covered by the blanket Jisung had left for him and playing Among Us on his iPad, being a very fun way to waste his time as he waited for someone to come get him. As the new round started, he was pretty disappointed as he was announced once more as a crewmate. Even in a stupid game he couldn’t get any kills that he wanted.

He ran around doing tasks, hoping that no one wrongfully accuses him again. His character was black, wearing a white suit and a crown. Unfortunately, that didn’t look so well on the ghostly version of it, a trail of curses escaping his mouth when he got killed right in the middle of the cafeteria. His teammates couldn’t even be more stupid than that. They kept on eliminating the ones that were innocent, instead of the impostor, not even being suspicious of him. Outrageous.

Soon, he noticed that the outside of the car was completely quiet, except for a few soft knocks on the surface of the car. That made him look out the window, only to see an enthusiastic Yuta waving at him and grinning. Kun unlocked the car, instantly jumping out, sorting out the tactics in his head, ready to chase and catch the youngsters. Unfortunately, his ideas were all cut off, by the other two members, as they dragged him back to where everyone was in the joint resting area.

When they got there, Taeil was sleeping on one couch, leaning on Doyoung who seemed rather worried. On another were sitting Johnny and Ten with Chenle in between them, keeping the two from throwing fists at each other as they argued which one of their songs was more public friendly. For a second, Kun almost wanted to ask how in the world they got on such a subject when it was past midnight, but then he actually realized who the two members were that were involved in the discussion and dropped it. Totally normal for those guys.

In another corner, Taeyong was trying hard to persuade Jaemin to unlock his phone. Apparently their group chat pinged and the younger (smart as he was) asked Siri to shut down the device, making it impossible for the rest to read any messages. What made them even more curious was the wide smile the boy had on his face after reading it (“My sweet boys.” – the leader faintly heard him muttering under his breath).

Chenle had put away his own phone earlier, under the couch and on silent, but not before sending an SOS message to his best friend, Jisung, who was still in hiding. As Kun found out, Jaehyun took on the responsibility of recovering the rest of the Dreamies and Doyoung was praying he’d bring all of them back safe and alive. It was really dangerous to let that crazy man loose, especially if it meant having him around their youngsters.

As the clock was ticking away and the resting room was growing silent, Jaehyun was on his mission with a lot of newfound energy. He had searched every single waiting area and all the hallways, checked the fire exits and the concert space (he couldn’t tell whatever the fuck was that Lucas and Jungwoo were displaying on stage, but it looked like they were testing a video projector by showing a dance practice video – wait, is that Jeno taking off his shirt?!), but he couldn’t find them. All he had in his mind was how he’d make them all pay for his coffee for a whole year and that goal kept the man going (and the dry-cleaning bill for his Gucci shirt – of course, they also had to take care of that – little devils).

Staff passed by him, but the man paid them no attention, the fire in his eyes only intensifying when he caught them staring at the stain on his clothes. “Jisung-ah, come out, come out wherever you are.” he chanted as sweetly as possible, a wide, diabolical grin spreading on his features. The mischief that surrounded him right then was in a shocking contrast to his angelical appearance: milky white skin, his hair soft and a pinkish colour, big, brown eyes and plump lips. Absolutely mesmerizing from afar, but once you got closer, his dark aura began to emit negative vibes, making everyone keep at least one metre distance from him.

The maknae was hiding in a corner, hood pulled over his head and black mask on, glancing up from time to time, wishing the member in the hallway wouldn’t notice him. “Jisungie, the games are over. Let’s go home. I’ll let you play with the water dispenser on the 10th floor.” the older guy said again, stopping for a moment to let out a deep sigh he didn’t even know he’d been holding in. As if on cue, small vibrations kept coming from a certain place, pings following shortly after. The youngest froze in his spot, only then realizing he forgot to mute his phone.

His doe eyes met Jaehyun’s and he could feel shivers all over his skin when the one in front of him smirked, turning to fully face him. “Found you.” the other chirped, literally jumping over the table and being next to Jisung in one second. The said boy yelped and tried to run away, but the death grip on his arm stopped him from moving any further. He felt his weak body being dragged towards the main resting area, sending pleading looks to the ones who passed by them, but no person dared to interfere.

“My favourite maknae, only imagine the things I am trying so hard not to do to you right now. Chenle was the real challenge though, but the thought of at least 25 years in prison didn’t sit well with me.” Jaehyun spoke softly, that evil smile still on his lips, not bothering to check on the mortified boy that was slowly letting go of every hope he had for a good, long life. As they were nearing the place the rest were filling, Jisung could here enthusiastic chattering, but one distinct voice was over all the others.

When they entered the resting zone, Taeil was standing in front of a very pissed off Yuta, faces inches apart. “What did I miss?” the pink haired man asked, unceremoniously throwing Jisung on the couch next to Doyoung, who quickly embraced him as if it’s been ages since they’d last seen each other (“YOU’RE ALIVE, JISUNGIE!”). “Sicheng lost at rock, paper, scissors and he had to act out the Sleeping Beauty scene with hyung, but Taeil hyung kissed him back for real. Now Yuta is mad.” the answer came from someone in the room, seemingly quite frustrated with the tense atmosphere inside.

Jaehyun hummed, before sitting down to enjoy the whole show. As he was doing so, from time to time, he pinched and tickled the maknae, under the scrutinizing gaze of one small Chinese boy. Being busy with the current fight, no one noticed Chenle grabbing something and moving to a higher place. His little feet were steady on the wooden table, a broomstick swinging from left to right in his hands as he spoke “LET US GO OR I’LL STRIKE!”. A mortified Taeyong tried to plead with him to come down, but the boy was having none of it. Kun massaged his temples and got up to try and help, but right in that moment his favourite younger member moved the broom almost hitting him in the face.

“WE WANT TO LEAVE! RELEASE US AND DO NOT FOLLOW!” Chenle yelled again, brows furrowed in concentration as he carefully inspected each and every person’s move. The phrases thrown at him were a mix of Korean, Chinese and English, every few seconds a word in Thai flying around (most probably Ten, most probably swearing). Instead of allowing him to easily solve the situation, Doyoung was holding Jaehyun in his arms, preventing him from leaving the couch. The look in his eyes said _murder_ and the older was, for sure, not ready to deal with the aftermath of that.

The leader backed down for a few seconds, feeling pretty exhausted, Kun still trying to persuade the younger from next to him “Chenle, put that down before you hurt someone or yourself.”. He decided to turn to another pair for help, hoping they’d have better luck than they did “Johnny, Taeil hyung, you’re the oldest. You should also do something.”. The tallest just shrugged, replying to Taeyong while he happily munched on a bag of chips “Not my problem. What’s the worst that could happen, anyway?”. The eldest nodded, supporting the other, but his glare still burning through Yuta’s slim figure as he spoke softly “They’re gonna be fine. He’s just a kid fooling around.”.

Right at that moment, Chenle swung the broomstick around once more, hitting Win Win on the side, not hard enough to leave bruises, but with just the right amount of strength to make the boy lose his balance and fall on his ass. “LET US GO OR I’LL STRIKE AGAIN!” the Chinese boy’s voice boomed inside the room, being unaware that the situation was worsening with every second that passed.

“FINE – YOU SAY?!” Yuta screamed towards Taeil, as he rushed to the member that was still on the ground, using the opportunity to also attack the oldest. Through gritted teeth, Kun tried once again to calm the younger down, already feeling his blood pressure hit new highs “Lele, give me that broomstick, please.”. As a sign of protest, the boy kept swaying it from left to right, repeating the same things over and over, not caring that he was now surrounded by some very angry members.

“FUCK! CALM DOWN, CHILD!” Johnny finally thundered, when he almost got hit in the face, stopping everyone in their tracks, since he rarely exploded like that. He motioned for the rest to free the Dreamies, just so he could get some peace and quiet. All this commotion was causing wrinkles and white hairs to come out and, honestly, he was a bit too young for all of that. Jaehyun tried to protest, but was quickly silenced by one deadly look from their tallest member. He was to be feared when someone got on his nerves, but if it was a person that all of NCT got truly scared of when in that exact situation, it was Johnny.

Happy that they were finally free, the Dreamies ran away as fast as they could, trying not to lose sight of each other again. As soon as they were out of reach, Jaemin pulled out his phone and started it, checking once more the messages that made him smile earlier, as well as the rest of the conversation. Now he was truly excited.

* * *

Donghyuck was born ready, so this plan had to go as smoothly as possible. It had absolutely no faults. The concert hall was ready for the big reveal (as Hendery had previously informed him through text), he managed to get the costumes from the staff’s room, now all he had to do was bait all of his members away from his other friends, long enough for all of them to escape. He was trying to ignore the fact that Mark was still trailing close behind, hands in his pockets as if they weren’t doing a life or death mission.

“I was going to jump straight into action, but seeing you so relaxed, I think I need to involve you somehow.” the younger plainly stated, raising one eyebrow and staring at the other from head to toe, as he stopped on his tracks. All he received in response was a small nod and he almost wanted to hit the guy for being so attractive while doing just that one gesture. “We need to check the rest before starting this though…” Donghyuck continued, walking again towards the changing room he had used earlier.

As soon as they had arrived inside, he pulled out his phone and began typing, lifting his head just for a second to check out what Mark was doing. He was sitting on the couch, legs crossed and hands laid loosely in his lap, while staring intensely back at him. The younger decided to take the empty seat next to the other, opening his mouth to speak once more “What are you willing to do for me to add you back to the group?”. The boy blinked a few times, then a sheepish smile spread on his face. He got closer and closer to Donghyuck, surprising his friend with his sudden actions.

“Is it alright if… I kiss you?” the elder asked, looking sincerely into the eyes of the one in front of him. Without waiting for an answer, he slowly closed the gap in between them, capturing the younger’s lips into a gentle kiss. His hands went up, one cupping Donghyuck’s cheek and the other threading through the long, silky locks. When they broke apart for air, the dressed-up member couldn’t really process what’d just happened, just sitting there and blinking “But… Why?” (seriously, they’d done that a ton of times before, but it’d never felt so warm and filled with feelings).

Mark let out a deep, throaty laugh, secretly enjoying the sight before him. “I told you already. You look pretty. That’s why.” he answered plainly, just shrugging it off, even though his heart was beating faster than ever. The younger glared at him for a bit, trying to brush it off, and grabbed his device once more, furiously changing some settings.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Full Sun**

**00:10**

**Full Sun added Hyung to the group**

**Full Sun added Renjunnie to the group**

**Little Chick:** O M G

 **Jenojam:** Did you guys make up?

 **Hyung:** Yeah, we did

 **Little Chick:** But… How is that possible?

 **Jenojam:** So fast…

 **Hyung:** I have my ways ;)

 **Big Head No.1:** Ew

 **Full Sun:** Shut up

 **Little Chick:** Chenle-yah!

 **Big Head No.1:** I’m in danger

 **Big Head No.1:** Jaehyunnie hyung is insane

 **Big Head No.1:** Stay away from main resting zone

 **Big Head No.1:** Jisungie

 **Little Chick:** Yeah?

 **Big Head No.1:** If I die

**Big Head No.1 is typing a message…**

**Little Chick:** I know, I know

 **Little Chick:** I’m your best friend and you love me

 **Big Head No.1:** I broke your PS4 and erased your account

 **Little Chick:** …

 **Little Chick:** I hope you get caught

 **Nana:** Guys, be careful

 **Nana:** I am with Taeyongie hyung

 **Jenojam:** We’re coming for you

 **Jenojam:** Me and Renjunnie

 **Jenojam:** We won’t let you down, Nana

 **Nana:** T-T

 **Jenojam:** We cannot do this without you

 **Little Chick:** Ew, now they’re three?

 **Hyung:** Since when?

 **Full Sun:** FUCKING FINALLY!

 **Hyung:** What did I miss?

 **Full Sun:** Nana wants Renjunnie

 **Full Sun:** Renjunnie wants Jeno

 **Full Sun:** Jeno wants Nana

 **Jenojam:** What?

 **Full Sun:** I thought I’ve told you about this already yesterday

 **Hyung:** Ummm, we didn’t do much talking…

 **Full Sun:** You weren’t paying attention?!

 **Hyung:** I was! To something else… :3

 **Little Chick:** Ew again

 **Hyung:** It’s past midnight

 **Hyung:** Just go sleep somewhere, kid

 **Jenojam:** Nana say something

 **Jenojam:** Nanaaaa???

 **Full Sun:** He’s logged off, they must have caught him

 **Jenojam:** Damn…

 **Jenojam:** Care to explain then?

 **Full Sun:** No, not really

 **Full Sun:** We have other things to do

 **Little Chick:** What things?

 **Full Sun:** Let’s meet in the changing room no. 5

 **Full Sun:** Especially you Jisungie >:)

 **Hyung:** Are you sure the plan’s gonna work?

 **Jenojam:** What plan?

 **Little Chick:** You’re scaring me

 **Full Sun:** Damn it! Just be there! All of you!

Donghyuck put his phone away and smiled widely at the one next to him “I need you to film a video message for me.”. He started talking, further explaining what they needed to do and what the plan was about, sometimes stopping in the middle of a sentence and laughing malefically. His ideas were just perfect and he couldn’t wait to see the looks of surprise on his members’ faces. They wanted the truly wild Dreamies and that was exactly what they were gonna get. When it came to pranks, there was no one on their team that could even match his mad skills (but really this is just the way he sees it, others might have different thoughts *cough* Chenle *cough* Ten *cough cough* Jaehyun – the last one rarely played jokes on them, but his competitive ass just had to be on the list).

Mark furrowed his eyebrows and gave him a questionable look (just a bit scared of how all of this could turn out in the end), but unlocked his phone quietly, logging into the vlive app, on the official NCT account (somehow they’d managed to steal the passwords from their managers, but never got to use them until now). He selected the preferences for his video and started the live, watching quite satisfied as the viewers numbers were already on the rise, heading towards the count of one hundred thousand in just a few seconds. His crazy friend was preparing behind the scenes, waiting for the older to finally point the camera at him. He was standing comfortably on the couch, but his back was straight and eyes fixated on the face of the one next to him, as the boy began mouthing the numbers _3, 2, 1_.

“Hello, everyone! This is Dongsookie! We haven’t seen each other in a while, but this is a special occasion for me. (*wink*) I would like to make an announcement, it is definitely official and open for anyone interested, as long as they fit the requirements. (*mischievous smile*) I am currently single and this saddens me terribly. (*fake crying*) Dongsookie has so much love to give and no man to receive it. If you are close to my height, with expressive, brown eyes and black hair, as well as a very good rapper, please leave your number in the comments and I will contact you. Kisses my lovely boys and girls! I’ll be waiting~!”

Donghyuck winked and blew a kiss to the camera, this being a sign to the other that it was the moment to end the vlive. After shutting off the camera, Mark went into the comment section of the video to read the reactions of those who had seen it. It was pretty wild and everyone was losing their minds. The younger was laughing maniacally next to him, but chose to ignore that as he saw a few familiar account names, spamming message after message: Amajohn, TikTokki, 10outof10, AlwaysKunfused, Baekhyunnies1stFanboy, manmanhyung (the last one being their manager’s account).

“We’re so fucked.” the older stated, closing the app. His friend stopped whatever he was doing and raised an eyebrow as he replied “If you back out of this, I’ll consider you as good as dead.”. Mark rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest “I never said that. Let’s move on to the second part, before they find us.”. Donghyuck nodded, going to the mirror to fix his hair and make up. As he walked over, the phone vibrated in his hand. With a clack of his tongue, he turned on the KakaoTalk to read whatever was being sent by Jeno.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**00:25**

**Jenojam:** WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!

 **Jenojam:** LEE DONGHYUCK, ANSWER ME!

 **Jenojam:** WHY DOES THE DESCRIPTION SOUND LIKE MARK HYUNG?!

 **Hyung:** Because it is me ;)

 **Jenojam:** DON’T FLIRT

 **Jenojam:** SME IS GONNA BURRY US

 **Hyung:** Calm down for a bit, dude

 **Jenojam:** Sorry

 **Jenojam:** That was Renjunnie

 **Jenojam:** But seriously now…

 **Jenojam:** WHAT THE FUCK?!

 **Full Sun:** Their basements have pretty lighting

 **Full Sun:** Don’t worry, Renjunnie

 **Full Sun:** Your bad selfies will turn out as usual

 **Jenojam:** Just wait till I get there

 **Jenojam:** I’ll take the best selfie

 **Jenojam:** With your corpse

 **Jenojam:** Manager hyung is going to kill you

 **Full Sun:** I’ve been running away for hours

 **Full Sun:** From people trying to do that, Renjunnie

 **Full Sun:** One more…

 **Full Sun:** Is not a problem for Lee Donghyuck ;)

The boy put his device away and motioned for his best friend to come and stand next to him. Mark pulled him almost instantly into his arms, burying the younger’s face into his chest, as he turned on the camera and captured a picture, a wide smile spread on his lips. They were hugging each other tightly, looking like the perfect couple. This was going to be the last drop that would fill the older members’ cups. Pure genius. He couldn’t wait to see their reactions. They could all brush off that vlive video as a prank for the fans or a bet that Donghyuck had lost, but this was going to bring some other kind of attention to them.

He opened NCT’s official Instagram account, to which they all had access too, especially the boys who didn’t own a personal one. Mark posted the picture of him and his best friend, with the caption “As of today, Mark Lee is not a single man anymore! I apologize to our NCTzens for letting you know like this. I promise to show you a better, improved Mark Lee in the future. Please understand my decision and show lots of support and consideration. Thank you for all of your love until now!”.

When he finished writing and posting the message, the door knob turned and someone entered the room. Both Mark and Donghyuck jumped away from each other, breaking the tight embrace. Their jaws fell to the ground in shock, as they took in the sight before them and processed the identities of the ones that had caught them in the very intimate moment.

They were definitely not expecting that. This night was going to be memorable, for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... what do you think? :3  
> This chapter contains a bit more parts with the group chat.   
> Chenle is a mess, Jisung is a cutie, MarkHyuck are gonna get fired (probably). 
> 
> One thing I wonder though: why is Jaemin so happy regarding those messages? :-/ Do we finally get to see his side of the story? :O 
> 
> Tune in for the next chapters! <3 Have a nice day/evening!


	6. Na Jaemin's first love in NCT (Dream) and his last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Na Jaemin had to overcome some hardships during his time as a member of NCT Dream. The biggest of them all was definitely choosing only one person to love. 
> 
> T/W: this contains quite a bit of swearing + angst (not really though T-T I think it's actually fluff)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you for all the love for the previous chapters and all of your kind words! <3  
> I hope you also like this one and that it puts a smile on your face!   
> (random thought - this has almost 60 pages in word; I am amazed :3)   
> Please enjoy!

NCT Dream didn’t have a lot of members. This was one of the upsides. You only had to get to know six of them and learn to live with their antics. This was pretty easy, especially since they’d practically grown into their relationships. Jaemin considered his Korean members as good as brothers. They’ve been around each other for a long, long time and stuck together through thick and thin, being able to do crazy stuff, but also have deep late night conversations about their lives and goals.

When Chenle and Renjun came around, the five of them were already pretty close, having the best chemistry among the other trainees. SME let them practice as a group and soon something happened, that was pretty rare in a company of their reputation and size: Jaemin, Jeno, Mark, Donghyuck and Jisung were already confirmed as a permanent unit, seen as the most likely to debut without eliminating one of them.

The Chinese boys were welcomed with open arms, although in the beginning they had their doubts, thinking of how this could change the dynamics. Luckily, one of them fit right in, Chenle sticking almost immediately to Jisung and even if sometimes they had trouble understanding each other, they found a way to make it work (thank God Google translate was invented!). With Renjun, it was a bit more difficult. When he wasn’t in their practice room, he was hanging around the members who spoke the same language as him, rarely interacting with the others.

Even so, Jaemin wasn’t able to forget his first impression of the boy. They were excitedly dancing to TVXQ’s Hug, one of their favourite songs to practice to, when the manager entered the room. Trailing close behind him was one kid, not very tall, head hanging low as he was trying to hide from any curious looks. He seemed quite shy, refusing to go forward and introduce himself, even when the other man pushed him. When he finally looked up, struggling to say in Korean “Hello, my name is Huang Renjun, please take good care of me.”, Jaemin could only focus on a pair of brown eyes, shimmering from under dark bangs, that light speaking louder than a thousand words.

His heart skipped a few beats and that was the exact moment he realized how fucked he was. They’d been training for almost three years, when the other two came along and he could easily say that he was pretty focused on his goals. As soon as the Chinese boy joined their team though, his resolutions slowly started to shatter or at least crack in certain places. He knew his company would never allow it. He wasn’t sure how his members would react to it. Hell, he was thinking all of this in the few seconds after Renjun had introduced himself, not even being aware whether what he was feeling was real or not (this couldn’t be love at first sight, could it? – he’d never been through a such phase so how could he know).

When the other was left alone with his team, he looked like he wanted to run right out the door after the manager and hide. He was impossibly shy and Jaemin didn’t really know how to act around someone like that, even if he was quite the introvert himself. Mark was the oldest, so he took on the responsibility of helping the Chinese boy fit in, offering to teach him the dance moves to Hug, so he could dance together with the rest. A bit of jealousy. The teen would lie if he said he didn’t feel it, instead trying to focus on what Jeno was explaining to him (something about taking a picture with Donghae hyung and spending a few hours with him?).

As days passed, Renjun got more comfortable with them, surprising everyone with how witty and smart he was. In singing classes, he was even steadily climbing towards the top, his covers impressing both the other trainees and the teachers. He had a soft voice, as sweet as an angel’s, that could reach really high notes with ease. Jaemin was falling even harder the more he saw of the boy, being quite difficult to resist such a perfect being. Being close in age helped a bit, so he often used that as an excuse to start a conversation or hang around the Chinese teen, not noticing a pair of eyes that was following his every move, mirroring the same love that filled Jaemin’s gaze when he looked at Renjun.

When SME announced that they’d finally debut as NCT Dream, they were all ecstatic. In the practice room, they threw a small party, drinking non-alcoholic champagne and eating some cake, reminiscing the hard times they had to overcome to get to that certain moment. That night, Jaemin thought of confessing, being tired of carrying all the weight of his feelings, along with the pressure of becoming a real idol, so he made his move. 

He found his target alone on the balcony, as he went out to enjoy for a little bit the cold, spring air. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” the Chinese boy questioned, chuckling as he turned to face the other. “I’m glad you’ve joined us. Really. We wouldn’t be the same without you.” Jaemin replied as he moved a bit closer, their shoulders brushing slightly. “Eeeh, what are you trying to get with this flattery? Is this a hidden camera?” Renjun asked again, looking around as if being filmed for a prank.

The younger couldn’t help but laugh at how cute his friend was being. He was really blessed to be able to enjoy such a beautiful sight. The other’s hair was being ruffled by the wind, his eyes were now focused on the dark sky filled with stars, plump lips a bit parted. “I’m happy.” he mumbled, Jaemin double-checking to see if he heard him right and smiling fondly. All he wanted to do was swallow those words with a kiss, feeling Renjun’s small frame fit perfectly in his arms.

The lump in his throat was preventing him from doing anything. He was so nervous. His hands were shaking as words began taking the form of logical sentences in his mind. He could do this. He had to. “Renjun-ah, there is actually something that’s been bothering me…” the boy started slowly and carefully, staring intensely at his friend. “Hmm?” the older hummed, changing his position, so he was fully facing the boy.

“I am rea– I have feel– I l-l-like y–“ the younger stuttered, struggling to find the best possible way to convey what he’d been feeling for months. Before he could confess, the door to the terrace opened, Jeno stepping outside with a wide smile on his face. “Yooo! Here are my two best mates!” he cheered, throwing his arms around to other two to pull them in a tight embrace. As Jaemin had observed over time, Renjun hung out with the boy as often as he had the chance. If he wasn’t with Sicheng, Kun and Yukhei, he was definitely spending hours practicing and playing around with Jeno. That rubbed him off the wrong way for a while, even causing him to distance himself from his older friend, before realizing how much of an asshole he was being and stopping that kind of behaviour.

That night was a chance he’d lost. They went back inside, Renjun poured more champagne, Jeno turned on the music louder, but the one thing Jaemin was trying to do and failed at, was shutting off his feelings. As he watched the other two have a little dance off, he felt a warmness inside that was difficult to brush off. One of them was definitely beautiful, with his awkward smile and small figure, but the Korean boy was coming very close in that moment: his black hair was sticking to his face from sweating so much, he was laughing loudly, turning his brown eyes into small crescents, motioning for Jaemin to join their little happy time. Damn. This was bad.

* * *

His back was hurting like crazy, eyes slowly filling up with tears. “Fucking bullshit!” he cursed as he tried one more time to get up from the floor. The music was still blasting loudly on his speakers, a certain song from his members being on repeat as he forced himself to dance to it. One more try, he just had to do it once more and it would be enough. Strong pain was penetrating through his muscles and skin as it moved from his spine, down to his right leg. Damn that surgery and the long recovery. He was getting bored and quite jealous that the others had the chance of meeting with their fans and perform, while he was stuck in the same routine.

A hand grasped his shoulder and We Young stopped playing. Jaemin sighed in annoyance and turned to look at the other person. Jungwoo was sympathetically smiling back at him, his eyes mirroring the feelings of pity and love he had in his heart. “You can’t keep on doing this. Don’t make me call Renjun again.” the older said and pulled the boy after him, forcing him to take a seat on the couch in the practice room. “’Cause that went exceptionally well last time you’ve done it.” Jaemin muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t give me that tone.” Jungwoo warned him, frowning as he crouched in front of the younger “You’re the one who yelled at him and threw him out.”. “Pssh, it’s not like it matters. They are having enough fun without me anyway. I should just completely give up on Dream and debut with you.” the other replied, staring down at his friend with a thoughtful expression on his face. A strong hit on his right shoulder almost sent him back to the ground and the disbelief was clear on his features. “I like you. A lot. But Dream is 7 and it should stay that way. Go home.” the older instructed and got up slowly, gathering some things thrown across the floor.

“I have no home… I don’t even know where I’m supposed to sleep anymore.” Jaemin spoke, hands falling in between his knees as tears finally began to fall. Jungwoo dropped everything, moving closer and closer. He wiped his friend’s cheeks, then pulled him in a hug, arms wrapping around his small figure. “It’s going to be ok. Please, remember the promise we’ve made and don’t give up just yet. Jaemin-ah…” the boy told him softly, fingers running through his soft hair to calm him down.

As they were sitting in the close embrace, someone was carefully watching from the door, cold drink in one hand and bag of fried chicken in the other. He sighed and left them both on the table outside the practice room, not bothering to even let the two know of his presence. They were quite busy anyway, cuddling like that and he had no intention of disturbing them. His phone strongly vibrated in his pocket right at that moment. He pulled it out and stared at the screen for a few seconds before answering. “Oh, Renjun-ah. What is it?” he questioned, disappointment being quite clear in his voice.

“Eeeh, what’s with you? You’ve run away from us like that. Jeno-yah, it’s late. Come back to the dorm.” the other boy told him, trying to sound as annoyed as possible, but it came out more as some cute whining. Jeno kind of liked that. It made him feel a little bit better. “I’m on my way. I shouldn’t have gone out anyway…” he muttered, as he pushed the button for the elevator. “Get me some fried chicken and I’ll pick a good movie.” Renjun instructed his friend, ignoring the complaints and ending the call. The younger just sighed, images of his crush in Jungwoo’s arms flashing again in front of his eyes. He didn’t even expect anything and still got the worst of it.

Jaemin left the practice room, ready to go home. As soon as he went out, he noticed on the table in front a big bag and a plastic cup filled with liquid. “Hmm?” the boy hummed as he inspected carefully the contents. Smelled like food and coffee – his two favourite things these days. He looked from left to right, trying to find anything else out of place. His eyes fell on the elevator doors as they opened and a very familiar figure got in, head hanging low.

“Jeno?” he asked more to himself and wanted to get closer. That person looked like him, but Jaemin couldn’t really understand what the other would be doing here. Before he could do anything more though, the doors began closing and for a moment he could swear he saw Jeno breaking down in tears. But… why?

He felt the need to run down the stairs and catch up to his friend, but his legs refused to move. The boy picked up the cup and took a sip. Americano. His favourite. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, finally lighting up his face. That was definitely Jeno.

“Let’s go. I called Yukhei also and convinced him to pay.” Jungwoo told him as he shut the door behind him. Jaemin stared at the drink in his hand, then back at the older. “Ok. That sounds good.” he replied, feeling a weird tingling in his chest. “What are these? They look fresh.” the other questioned, inspecting carefully the contents of the bag. “Just a small token of friendship.” the younger told him, before grabbing everything and heading towards the elevator. He was going to thank Jeno later.

* * *

The dorm was bit too quiet, considering this was NCT Dream’s place. Anyone who’s ever been around them knew the only time their mouths stopped talking was either when they were eating or when they were sleeping. He couldn’t smell any food and it was a bit too early for them all to be asleep. Weird. The boy dropped his shoes and crossed the hallway, reaching the open living room. Empty. “Really? I’m finally here and they’re not at home? Assholes.” Jaemin muttered throwing his jacket and backpack on a nearby chair.

His body instinctively moved towards the room he used to share with one of the boys, turning on the lights as soon as he got in. There were no sheets on the bed, being covered instead with some thin plastic wrap. The desk was emptied and placed underneath it was a box filled with his things. He frowned, opening the dresser, only to find that also with no clothes in it. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” he screamed, pulling out his phone to contact the others.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**23:37**

**Nana:** WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

 **Nana:** WHERE ARE MY THINGS?!

 **Nana:** WHY IS NO ONE AT THE DORM?!

 **Renjunnie:** We wanted to give you some space

 **Jenojam:** Yeah, to clear out what you’ve left there

 **Full Sun:** The truth is…

 **Full Sun:** I had no intention of seeing your face

 **Nana:** What

 **Full Sun:** Didn’t manager hyung tell you?

 **Nana:** Tell me what?

 **Renjunnie:** Hyuckie, don’t…

 **Big Head No.1:** Just rip the bandaid off

 **Full Sun:** You’re not part of Dream anymore

The phone fell out of his hand and the room suddenly started spinning violently. Out… of… Dream… No way. This was not real. This couldn’t be real. They were just joking. Right? The company told him to bring back all of his stuff from the place he’d shared with Jungwoo, Yukhei and Kun, to move back to his old dorm. It was a joke. Definitely. He stepped out of his room, turning on all the lights to make sure he didn’t miss anything. The boy looked through all the apartment, then he got to the kitchen. On the fridge was a small post-it note with a handwritten message on it:

_Dear Nana, (please check the milk bottle inside) - Jisung_

He opened the door and checked the items, picking up another note from the plastic surface, this time in a different colour.

_You always put a smile on my face (check the knives support) – Chenle_

The boy followed the instructions, noticing that the kitchen was actually filled with the pieces of paper, stuck to different objects and having personalized texts:

_You make the best instant ramyeon in our team (check the oven – hot like me) – Donghyuck_

_You give me the strength I need to go on when I’m down (check the upper cupboard) – Mark_

_You are a vital part of NCT Dream <3 (check the lower cupboard) – Renjun _

His heart skipped a bit at the last one and he didn’t realize it, but tears were already streaming down his face. He opened the door slowly. Among plates of different shapes and sizes, he found a small cake. “Welcome back, Nana” was written on it, with little golden stars surrounding the words. He lift the plastic box and on the wooden shelf was one last note. The boy already knew who that person had to be and tried to mentally prepare himself for one more emotional confession.

_You are the best hyung anyone could ask for – Jisung_

For a second, he frowned, expecting something from Jeno and not another one from the maknae. He got up and unconsciously started checking random items inside the room. Why wasn’t there anything from that guy and most importantly, why did he feel the need to find something from him so badly? He walked back to the dormitory, on a mission to recover his phone and find the others. The lights were off.

“Huh? I thought I left them on.” he muttered and turned on the switch. On the floor, one boy was sitting on his ass, looking up at him, eyes turned into small crescents as he smiled. “Nana.” he said, voice soft. Jaemin could barely see from all the tears that were streaming down his cheeks at that moment. He felt like his heart could burst with happiness. Jeno was dressed in the matching outfit they had for the last stage as a seven membered Dream, on top of his chest being carefully placed a small blue note.

The younger slowly walked towards his friend, as the other got up to his feet. He tried to read the words, as he mentally cursed himself for chocking up “We… We… We love you… to… to… the moon and back. Always and forever… Yo Dream!”. When he spoke out the last part, the others joined them, saying out loud their usual cheer. Jeno wrapped the small boy in his arms, letting him cry out in his chest. “Na Jaemin. We are not NCT Dream without you. I am not Lee Jeno without a Nana by my side.” the older whispered in his ear, patting his back.

That fateful night they ate cake and drank non-alcoholic champagne, as music was playing in the background. It felt like they were trainees again. As Donghyuck and Chenle mocked his crying face, Jaemin kicked them and swore not to do that again in front of his team. Jeno and Renjun laughed. The younger stared at both of them and a warmness filled his insides. Maybe it wasn’t that bad afterall – that tingling sensation inside his stomach.

* * *

Their comeback vlive was going pretty well. The number of hearts was over 40 million and the comments were insane. Apparently their new song was truly a hit. It had a nice, catchy beat and a choreo that they’d spent hours trying to perfect it. Jaemin was very satisfied. Fans were even saying that his part was the highlight, besides the dance from the final chorus. They all looked good and even if this time Donghyuck was simultaneously promoting with NCT 127 and Mark had graduated from Dream, it was still going well.

He was seated next to Renjun, with Jeno standing behind them. The Chinese boy was cheerfully sharing a funny story from the filming of the music video. As he was gesturing animatedly with one hand, the microphone was in the other one, a cute smile lighting up his whole face. Jaemin felt his heart pound a bit faster in his chest and his hand instinctively went up to pinch the older’s cheek, fingers lingering a little longer on his shoulder.

Before he could wrap his arm around his friend, the embrace was interrupted by Jeno, as he slowly pushed the younger aside, strong grips keeping the bodies of the seated members at a proper distance from each other. Jaemin just gaped at him, finding it a bit too sudden and unbelievable. The one behind them had the same sweet smile on his face, nodding every time Renjun finished a sentence. His grasp was getting stronger, digging into the blond member’s skin.

As soon as the interview was finished and they were in the waiting room, Jaemin felt the sudden need to question the older regarding his behaviour, but resisted the urge to do so. Instead he followed closely the Chinese boy, teasing him with every chance he got. Donghyuck joined in, attracting everyone’s attention with his loud laugh. The younger noticed there was a little bit of tension in the air, as he was trying to playfully steal Renjun’s phone and interrupt his selfie time. His eyes went back to Jeno, who was staring at the two of them intensely from one corner. Was he jealous?

That was a theory he was going to test. It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed the other pushing him away from their friend or coming in at surprisingly the most inappropriate times. Something was up and if he had to guess, it was strongly related to the fact that Jeno may have had a crush on their member. That had to be it. No other logical explanation.

Jaemin gathered his courage and turned to Renjun, finally managing to slip away the boy’s phone. The older cried out, struggling to get it back, fighting with the other and falling on top of him on the couch. “Give me a kiss and you can have it.” the younger suggested, puckering his lips and trying not to laugh at his friend’s disgusted expression. The one on top then lowered his face and pretended to reciprocate the action, making Jaemin’s cheeks flush red.

Before anything else happened, the younger felt the phone swept from his hand and the weight taken off of him as Renjun was pushed back to a normal sitting position. Jeno threw the device on his lap, glared for a little bit at both of them and left the room. The rest just stared, being still taken aback by his sudden intervention. “What’s with him?” Jisung asked, passing the box of cookies to his friend. “Don’t know. He seemed kind of pissed.” Chenle replied filling his mouth with food.

Donghyuck threw a pillow at both of them, complaining that they should stop eating so many snacks. The older Chinese boy wasn’t saying anything, just staring down at his hands, looking like he’d committed the most heinous crime. Jaemin couldn’t really understand what was actually going on, so he got up and went out. He walked towards the terrace, where the other was sitting alone, just gazing at the stars.

“What hell was that? Care to elaborate?” the younger questioned, checking so no one followed them, before shutting the door behind him. “I don’t know what you mean.” Jeno replied, his voice cutting through summer air. “You. Renjun. Me. Why do you keep pushing us away from each other?” the boy insisted, now being even closer to his friend, who was leaning against the railing. “I don’t do that.” the answer came again, in a dismissing manner.

Jaemin was already getting annoyed by his attitude, making one last attempt “Do you have a thing for him?”. As soon as the other member processed the question, two hands grabbed his collar and pushed him into the nearest wall “Are you seriously asking me that?!”. His eyes went wide, mouth agape, not expecting such an aggressive reaction. “Well… Whenever I try to be around Renjunnie, you kick me away or sit in between us. Do you hate me touching him that much? Are you jealous?” Jaemin asked him, looking right into the eyes of the one in front of him, that seemed to be filled with absolute rage.

“I’m trying really hard to stay calm right now. You are a fucking asshole.” Jeno told the boy, letting him fall to the ground. Fingers threaded through his hair, as he was struggling to relax himself, but it wasn’t really working. “Why? We’ve been friends for a really long time. Just tell me.” the younger replied, getting back on his feet and dusting off his clothes. His gaze was following the other’s every move as he seemed to be deep in thought, conflicting emotions showing up on his features.

Jeno looked up at him, his expression exuding full confidence and determination. He got closer and closer, backing his friend into the wall. “Fine. I’ll do just that.” the boy said softly, before closing the distance in between their faces, as he captured Jaemin’s lips in a gentle kiss. His fingers combed through the younger’s hair, one hand settling on his waist, changing their position so he could have better access. His teeth nibbled on the other’s lips, making him gasp in surprise. Taking advantage of the situation, Jeno slipped his tongue inside, battling with the younger’s.

Jaemin tasted like coffee, just as expected. The older liked it. A lot. He wanted for this moment to never end. His heart was beating so fast his chest could burst, his face and ears were burning and, for a second, he thought his legs would give out. He’d dreamed of this kiss for years and longed to hold the other in his arms like that. It didn’t feel like reality at all.

When they broke apart, struggling to breathe properly once more, the younger couldn’t even look up at him, so Jeno took this as a sign to speak up “I like you, Na Jaemin. No. I am in love with you and have been for so long I can’t even imagine what it feels like not being into you.”. The said boy gasped, shocked by the sudden confession, mind going blank as he was trying to find a proper answer to it. “You… What? It’s not… Renjun?” Jaemin questioned, staring incredulously at the one in front of him.

Jeno’s head hung low, his whole body starting to heat up “It was you all along.”. The younger felt his insides churn, heart pounding in his chest as if it was going to explode. His knees went weak and his eyes couldn’t focus, whole space spinning at full force. “But… Why me?” he got the courage to ask again. The older tried to smile, but the small crescents didn’t appear anymore “I can’t explain it. I just can’t see myself being with anyone else but you.”.

“We’re just friends, Jeno-yah. What if this fails? It could ruin our team. It… It is better to stay as we are. Others could get hurt too if our relationship doesn’t work out.” Jaemin said, stuttering and trying hard to believe whatever he was letting out of his mouth. He felt tempted. The warmness that rushed over his body whenever Jeno laughed or hugged him was proof that it wasn’t one-sided.

Over time, he grew to learn how to live with all of his emotions – the ones he felt for his Korean member and the ones he felt for his Chinese member. Renjun was like his first love, soft and pure and unexpected, someone he could hardly give up on, while Jeno was completely different. He grew up with this boy and for a while they were practically joined at the hip, being difficult to separate one from the other. They had similar hobbies and complemented in ways that the rest could never. It was a nice contrast. Sometimes Jeno was the quiet boy, who kept it all to himself, and Jaemin would have bursts of giggles and laughter, teasing everyone around him. Other times, the wheel would go round and the roles would be switched.

The older was caring and dedicated. Once he set his mind on something he’d push himself until he saw it through. He worked towards every goal and motivated the rest to do the same. After Mark left, the leader spot was also empty and most people assumed Donghyuck would snatch it as he was rather mature and ready to speak up at any given moment. To everyone’s surprise, whenever a problem appeared, Jeno took the initiative and solved it, proving that he was more than capable and worthy of that role, so he kind of slipped into it.

Jaemin had a lot of respect for his friend, but he was scared. He couldn’t control his reactions, his mind was also refusing to answer any commands and this was throwing him off his game. The other also seemed to be processing his earlier words, probably thinking of the best answer to them. “Let’s just leave it as it is. We’re good like this.” the younger continued, shrugging and trying to ignore the way his heart began hurting once Jeno looked up at him. His eyes were filled with disappointment and sadness. He seemed so broken, but it wasn’t something Jaemin could help.

The older nodded, biting his lips to fight back the tears that were threatening to appear. “It’s ok as long as I have Nana by my side. What is Lee Jeno without Na Jaemin?” he said, forcing himself to put on a bright smile. In that moment, the said boy felt like running away and hiding in a place where that look on Jeno’s face wouldn’t follow him. This was bad. Renjun may have been his first love, but these newfound feelings for Jeno were really screwing him up. Loving them both on different wavelengths felt so wrong and so right at the same time. But how could he choose in between two perfect men?

* * *

Jaemin read the messages again and his heart filled with warmth. Renjun and Jeno were worried for him and were coming to the rescue. His two sweet boys made up and now his job was done. In the last weeks he’d realized how much the older’s confession had changed them and their dynamics. Even if they didn’t get into a relationship, the Chinese boy seemed to be fading away, avoiding the moments in which the alternative was letting them spend time together as two. That was unfair and he wanted to fix it by making his friends be comfortable with each other again. He sacrificing himself to let them escape probably worked. That was good. There was only one thing he had to correct: Donghyuck’s summary. Jaemin wanted both Renjun and Jeno, not just one or the other. He was going to pursue them both and make up for all the mistakes and misunderstandings. He owed at least that to them.

“Nana is also coming for you. Renjun-ah, Jeno-yah, it’s time for us to have a talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I wrote this in like... two days. I just got the ideas and thought they flowed well together.  
> I hope you've enjoyed reading it and that it wasn't (too) bad. T-T   
> I was really nervous before posting it, since the style is a bit different.  
> Also, this should shed a little bit of light on Jaemin's true feelings (it's actually a little based on a theory I've heard about polyamorous relationships XD). 
> 
> Just a little mention... I believe that besides these fillers, the story should end in a chapter or two T-T. The Boss Battle is coming soon. :))) 
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments! <3 Have a nice day/evening!


	7. Christmas special Part I (before the chaos)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The C in NCT stands for cute, charming, chaotic. The Christmas special explores the relationships within the team, focusing on all the members.  
> Part I:  
> Chenle and Jisung - Curiosity (almost) killed the cat   
> Lucas and Jungwoo - Let it snow  
> Mark and Donghyuck - What best friends do   
> Jaehyun and Doyoung (feat. Taeyong) – Shopping for the kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry (early) Christmas, everyone! Thank you for reading this story and getting this far! Your feedback is the best! <3   
> Chapters 7 and 8 are bonus chapters, since I was in the mood for holidays (and I secretly don't want to end this series so soon T-T).  
> They're basically side stories and will not affect the course of the main plot/will not be mentioned in the ending chapter, if you want to skip them.   
> Most probably, by the end of this week I will also post that one. ;-; I'm working on it. 
> 
> T/W: this contains quite a bit of swearing and mentions of sexual (?) things.

**Chenle & Jisung – Curiosity (almost) killed the cat **

Jisung was stuck at the dorms on his own, playing computer games. The rest of the gang had ditched him to do other things that seemed more important than taking care of their maknae. He was sulking a bit, but at least Jaemin had left him enough food to munch on before they got back from their trip. Currently, he couldn’t understand what those three could be doing in the middle of the night when it was so cold outside. It happened quite fast and the boy didn’t have time to process all of it, but Jeno was saying something about getting hot chocolate.

His best friend was at home with his family, spending time with them at an early Christmas dinner, since the group was fully booked for the year-end shows. Hours had passed since their last message and Jisung was starting to feel rather lonely. He pulled out his phone and checked the group chat, as well as the individual conversations.

**23:15**

**To Lele <3: **T-T I feel abandoned

 **To Lele <3: **I’m on my own

 **To Lele <3: **Come hereee please

 **From Lele <3:** Stop being a drama king, Jisungie

 **From Lele <3: **I’m the one suffering here

 **To Lele <3: **Why?

 **From Lele <3: **They are asking me when I will bring a girl home

 **To Lele <3: **Already? You’re not even 20 yet

 **From Lele <3: **I know

 **From Lele <3: **I don’t have time for dates anyway

 **To Lele <3: **Eeeh, the hyungs are doing it just fine

 **From Lele <3: **Yeah, because they’re going out with people within the group

 **From Lele <3: **It’s not like I can choose any of you

 **To Lele <3:** Why?

 **From Lele <3: **Is there any girl in NCT that I don’t know of?

 **To Lele <3: ***sends picture with Dongsook*

 **From Lele <3: **We still didn’t erase that from existence?

 **To Lele <3: **It’s iconic

 **From Lele <3: **It’s embarrassing

 **To Lele <3: **Only to Donghyuckie hyung

 **From Lele <3: **True

 **From Lele <3: **What are you doing?

 **To Lele <3: **Dying of boredom

 **From Lele <3: **Ah, so nothing worth my attention

 **To Lele <3: **Can’t you come to the dorms?

 **To Lele <3: **Tell them I’m sick or something

 **From Lele <3: **Pay for fried chicken

 **To Lele <3: **I asked Jaeminnie hyung to cook

 **From Lele <3: **Ramyun?

 **To Lele <3: **You bet!

 **From Lele <3: **I’ll be there in 15

Jisung threw his device on the couch, smiling victoriously as he cleaned up the living room, making some space to put down on the floor the blankets and pillows. It was quite usual for them to gather around the TV and let it play in the background as they fooled around or talked about stuff that bothered them. The hyungs were probably going to be away for a while, so they had all the dorm to themselves.

When the microwave oven pinged, signaling that the food was warmed up, there was also some rustling by the door. Jisung left the kitchen to greet his best friend, pulling him almost instantly in a tight hug “I missed you sooo much.”. “You’re overreacting. We’ve seen each other yesterday.” Chenle replied pushing the boy off of him to get rid of his coat. The maknae strolled back to where he came from, pouting as he struggled to split evenly the ramyun into two different bowls.

“This better be worth it.” the older told him again, dropping his backpack on a nearby chair “You have no idea the pain I had to endure to escape.”. “You make it sound as if you just got out of prison. What did you tell them?” Jisung asked, eyeing his friend suspiciously. “That you were stuck on the toilet and there was no toilet paper inside the dorms.” Chenle casually replied, picking up a pair of chopsticks to taste his food.

“What?!” the maknae yelped, a shocked expression decorating his face. “Don’t worry. They let me borrow some from our place.” the other said with a high-pitched laugh and he pulled out a roll of toilet paper. Jisung just sighed, settling in the space next to him to enjoy what Jaemin had made earlier, trying to ignore what he’d just heard.

When they both finished eating, they moved to the living room, getting comfortable under the blankets. “Sooo… You’re really straight?” the younger questioned out of nowhere, taking his friend a little bit by surprise. “Umm… I guess. I’ve never tried… the other side.” Chenle told him, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “The rest do things all the time. Yesterday when I went to the 10th floor dorms, I caught Yuta hyung doing… umm… with Sicheng hyung. It was… weird.” Jisung continued, making kissing noises and waving his hands.

His best friend broke into laughter, but deep down he had some worries of his own. He supported his whole body on his elbows, expression turning serious as he stared intensely at the one next to him “Do you think we’re still straight because we’ve never experienced it?”. The maknae’s eyes went up, trying to figure out what the other was alluding to. “Do you think we should?” he asked carefully, getting instant panic when Chenle’s gaze gleamed with mischief.

“Just once… Maybe.” the older told him, moving closer, until their faces were inches apart. “Y-Y-Yah! S-S-Stop joking!” Jisung yelled, placing his hand in between them to block the warm breath that was brushing against his lips. “Why, Jisungie? We’re close enough, so we won’t be too awkward. No one has to find out.” the other continued, fingers wrapping around his friend’s wrist to push the obstacle out of the way.

“C-C-Chenle!” the maknae screamed again, feeling the need to jump up to his feet and get as far as possible from the one next to him. The said boy licked his lips, closing the distance between their faces “Just once. It’s gonna be fine.” the older spoke softly, but his eyes were filled with pure determination “You gotta admit, you’re also curious of what it’s like.”. Jisung gulped down an inexistent lump in his throat, heart beating faster and faster.

His lips awkwardly touched Chenle’s, slow and gentle. The whole thing only lasted a few seconds, as the door to the living room sprung open and someone marched inside. In almost an instant, the two boys jumped away from each other, to separate corners of the couch. “Jisungieee! We’re home!” Jaemin chirped, throwing himself in between them. The Chinese boy tried to catch his friend’s gaze, but it seemed like an impossible mission as the other’s head was buried under the covers.

“Oh? Chenle-yah, you’re here too?” Jeno asked, carefully placing some bags on the table. The younger just nodded, feeling a bit annoyed as he couldn’t finish what he had previously planned. Jaemin was snuggling up to Jisung, arms wrapped around the other’s thin waist, trying to pull him into an embrace “I’m sorry we’ve left you alone.”. Renjun rolled his eyes, strolling past them on the way to his room “They’re not babies anymore. What’s the worst they can do here anyway?”,

Chenle choked on his own saliva, also hearing someone groan loudly (he was pretty sure that was Jisung). He pulled out his phone, chewing nervously on his lower lip.

 **To Jisungie <3: **Never again?

 **From Jisungie <3: **Agreed.

* * *

**Lucas & Jungwoo – Let it snow**

The snow was falling from the skies, steadily settling on the frozen ground. The boys wanted to go out for a bit, even though it was late at night. Supposedly Jungwoo had prepared a special surprise for his friend, to make him feel better. Ever since they’ve both debuted, things had changed for the better in their relationship. They weren’t so stressed anymore and practiced a little less than before. Even so, Yukhei still had his own disappointments to deal with.

“I can’t believe they’ve rejected my request again.” the tall boy complained, throwing his hands in the air, as if to make the problem bigger than it actually was. “They said they’ll consider it.” Jungwoo tried to comfort him, but nothing seemed to be working. “That’s what they’ve told me last time and the Dreamies still had a comeback without me.” Yukhei continued, pouting a little as he wrapped one arm around his friend’s shoulders.

The older sighed, walking slowly in the direction of the Han River. The wind was blowing, but they didn’t mind. The park was decorated with pretty, colourful lights, swinging from tree to tree. On the ground, there were placed carefully Christmas statues, from reindeers to Santa Claus and his elves. Jungwoo liked it a lot. It reminded him of home. One of the downsides of debuting was that he didn’t get to spend the holidays with his family anymore. They had to be present at the company for the year-end shows. One thing that made him feel better though was taking this long walk, with the perfect partner, enjoying the quiet atmosphere around them.

“Yukhei, I know how much you want this, but they are not going to add you to NCT Dream. Especially with the whole graduation system.” the boy made another attempt to help his friend relax, but the other’s thoughts were fixed on that one issue. “That’s rude. I’d fit right in.” Yukhei commented, drawing closer to the one next to him, trying to fight off the cold.

Jungwoo snapped his tongue and stopped walking, sliding a bit over the thin ice and almost falling, if it wasn’t for the strong grip the taller had on him. “Listen. I came here because I feel like shit and being all alone with you somehow makes it all better. Try a little bit to look on the bright side of things.” he spoke softly, even though he was a little annoyed, but not wanting to make everything worse. “Ok. Ok. I’m sorry. I kept going on and on about my wishes, when you’re the one who asked me out. What do you want for Christmas?” Yukhei replied, head hanging low as he stared intensely at the other.

The boy smiled sheepishly at the question, turning around to fully face his friend, finally gathering the courage and the timing to make his move. “I want you. I know we’ve been getting closer and closer in the recent months, but we didn’t exactly add a label to this. Date me. Be with me. I like you a lot, Yukhei.” he confessed, pulling his hands out of his pockets to carefully place them on each side of the younger’s face.

The taller’s eyes grew wider. He let out a smile, before wrapping both of his arms around the other’s thin waist. Their lips were getting closer and closer, until there was no longer space in between them. The kiss was gentle and no sparks were flying around, but both of them certainly felt a warmness filling up their hearts. When Yukhei moved away, he noticed that the older’s cheeks were even more flushed then before and it was no longer from the freezing weather outside.

“Boyfriend. Does that sound better?” he asked, grinning widely when he noticed Jungwoo’s enthusiastic expression right after. “Mhmm, Ten thousand times better.” the boy answered, standing on his toes to place an innocent peck on the younger’s right cheek. “Ok. Now that this is settled, can I start complaining again? I’m really pissed for making my 11th formal request and still being rejected.” Yukhei wondered out loud, wrinkles decorating his forehead as he frowned, arms crossed over his chest.

Jungwoo rolled his eyes and pushed him strongly, laughing when the taller boy fell right into a pile of fresh, white snow. “Mention that again and I’m revoking your newfound status.” the older stated, hands placed on either side of his hips. The other growled and grabbed the ankles of the one in front of him, pulling them with all of his force. His poor victim yelped as he fell on his back right next to his friend. “I’m going to kill you! I’m freezing!” he threatened, climbing on top of Yukhei, not even thinking what would happen if anyone passed by and saw them.

“I love you too.” the younger chirped and lifted himself to capture Jungwoo’s lips into another kiss, satisfied when he felt his body relax in the awkward embrace. “Me or Dream then?” the older questioned as soon as they broke apart for air. “Eeeh, I think someone’s calling. Oh? Oh? Taeyongie hyung? We should get home right now? Hahahah!” Yukhei jumped up to his feet, pulling his phone out and talking mindlessly as he scratched the back of his head, side-eyeing the one next to him.

Jungwoo lifted an eyebrow, brushing the snow off of his clothes as soon as he got up. Shaking his head, he intertwined their fingers, enjoying the look of surprise on his boyfriend’s face “It’s ok. You’re only getting me for this Christmas anyway. So, deal with it.”. Yukhei poked his tongue out and they both began walking towards the exit, thinking of their new family that was waiting for them at the dorms.

* * *

**Mark & Donghyuck – What best friends do **

The room was filled with people as everyone was rushing to make the last preparations for the year-end show. The group had to perform quite a few songs, along with some special stages. It was gonna be tiring, but at least they got to interact with the fans more. A lot of bands were roaming around the venue, half of them spending time on their own, while the rest mingled and socialized with new people, forming new bonds and getting to know each other.

Mark was really interested in just one person, deciding last minute that he wanted to surprise his best friend with the Christmas present earlier than they had actually planned. He had made all the preparations in their van, knowing that was one place where others wouldn’t disturb them. It was one more hour left until they had to perform, that giving him enough time to go on with this.

The younger kept whining as he was being dragged outside the venue and into the parking lot, where it was freezing (and their costumes were really, quite thin). A black, silk scarf was wrapped around his head, covering his beautiful, brown eyes, but even that couldn’t hide the mischief. “If I catch a cold, that’s on you. Really.” Donghyuck complained, tightening the hold on the older’s hand. “Sssht. Just a bit longer.” Mark replied, biting on his lower lip, not being able to contain his excitement.

“It better be something good. You’re putting at risk your main vocal. Let me see you covering my parts when I get sick.” the younger continued, clacking his tongue in annoyance. The other rolled his eyes, sliding open the door to their big car. They both got in, slightly pushing out of the way all the Christmas decorations hanging from the roof.

The lights were shining brightly, slowly warming up their skin as they went on and off. The boy took off the material, blinking a few times to adjust to his surroundings. Right then, Mark pulled out of his jacket a beautiful red box, with a small ribbon on top of its’ lid.

Donghyuck gasped as he examined the item, then he suddenly looked up at his friend, opening his mouth to speak “I told you I needed a new computer. This better be proof of it being already set up in my room.”. The older punched him lightly on the shoulder, rolling his eyes at all the bickering, but deep down he found it really endearing. He was pretty sure the one in front of him was pretty touched and impressed with the view and the surprise, but he was also too proud to admit it.

Inside the box was one silver bracelet, with different small items hanging from the chain: a music note, the letter D and the letter M, on each side of it. As he inspected it, lifting it up and bringing it closer to his face, Donghyuck commented again “What does D and M stand for? Direct message?”. Mark groaned, covering his handsome features with his right hand. “It’s obviously for our names. I have the same.” he answered, pulling out of his pocket an identical piece of jewelry.

“You gotta be kidding me. Couple items?!” the younger whined, staring at his friend with a shocked expression. “Well… If you don’t like it, I can just take it back.” the other began, disappointment filling up his eyes, as they fell on his lap. For a moment, the sharp-tongued boy felt a pang of guilt inside of his heart, mentally kicking himself for going a bit too far with his jokes. “I didn’t say that. It’s just… We’re not together. We’re just friends.” he replied, wrapping the bracelet around his wrist and putting it on.

Mark looked up, seemingly concentrated on something he had on his mind. A few seconds later, he leaned in, capturing his friend’s lips into an awkward first kiss, Christmas lights shining brighter than ever on their faces. When the boy pulled away, he feared meeting the other’s gaze, trying to find another spot to focus on. “What was that?” Donghyuck asked, fingers brushing against the corner of his mouth. “A kiss.” the older replied, still avoiding the actual meaning of it all.

There was a moment of silence, as they both sat there, furiously blushing. It was something they’d never done before or even attempted. Usually, they fought and bickered and played, not shying away from skinship or close interactions, but this was not the same thing. Mark was crossing boundaries that maybe (just maybe) weren’t meant to be crossed. This one small action could change the course of their relationship as a whole and they were both aware of it.

“I know that, you idiot. Answer me properly.” the younger retorted, after clearing his throat to release some of the tension. “I just felt like doing it. Friends can kiss each other, right?” the other answered, chewing nervously on his lower lip as he expected his group member’s reply.

Donghyuck seemed to ponder on that for a bit, probably thinking of the consequences (in reality, all he had on his mind was how much better than this a computer would have been). “Ok. I guess we can make that work.” he let out after a while, taking his friend by surprise.

As soon as he finished saying that, he leaned in and kissed the older again, this time less awkward. His hands instinctively found the back of Mark’s head, fingers tugging lightly at his hair as he climbed on top of the boy. The other wrapped his arms around the waist of the one above him, tongue sliding across Donghyuck’s lips to ask for permission. When the younger willingly opened his mouth, their tongues began battling for dominance.

As they were casually making out in the back of the car, surrounded by Christmas decorations and lights, their hearts were being filled with warmth and excitement. This was certainly a nice way of ending the year, even better than actually performing on stage.

When Mark thought of that, his phone vibrated in his pocket and Donghyuck yelped, slightly jumping up in surprise “Ok. Ok. I said I’m good with kissing. Don’t push it by getting naughty with me!”. The older laughed and pulled out the device, looking at the screen to see who was calling.

“You’re the one who sat on my lap though.” he replied, winking at his friend, before answering. The other pulled down Mark’s shirt, biting hard on his collarbone and sucking a little at the spot, enjoying how the boy squirmed under him, trying to keep a steady voice as he talked to Taeyong. “Don’t tell me you don’t like this, _hyung_.” Donghyuck whined, licking more the hickey he had just left on the older’s skin.

Mark growled, pushing him off “Performance first, more Christmas presents later.”. He stepped out in the cold, quite happy he’d get to cool off for a bit before having to face the cameras (his friend certainly knew what to do to turn him on apparently).

As they were walking towards the entrance to the venue, Donghyuck was laughing hysterically as he teased the older regarding the cheesy surprise. All the Canadian boy could do was fight off the annoyance rising inside of him, thinking of one thousand ways of how to resist killing your best friend.

* * *

**Jaehyun & Doyoung (feat. Taeyong) – Shopping for the kids**

On paper, Taeyong was supposed to be just a leader to the big group of boys, this being decided ever since they’ve debuted. In reality, he was a lot more than that: he cooked for them, helped with their homework, cleaned the dorms and treated them like a bunch of younger brothers, at the same time working hard to perfect his own skills (from learning English to getting better at singing).

This was honestly his favourite time of the year. He got to go around the malls and look for the presents that best suited each member, having on his mind only one thing: watching as their eyes lit up when they unwrapped each box, smiles spreading on their faces whenever they held the items he’d bought for them.

Each season, he personally picked two of his friends to go with him, since it was rather hard to carry all the bags and didn’t want to make more than one trip to the stores. Jaehyun and Doyoung were trailing close behind him, as they also scanned random objects, wondering what they should also buy for Christmas. In 2017 he went along with Taeil and Yuta, considering they were also part of the hyung line and had certain responsibilities, but that happened to be one of the worst days of his life: he had to struggle with all the gifts, as those two were having some sort of competition to see who chooses the most impressive present for Sicheng.

This time round, it was almost a bit too quiet, as the other two were barely letting out any words, as they awkwardly avoided any type of interaction. Taeyong found that a bit suspicious, but decided it was best not to dwell on it. That was their own business and he didn’t feel like being the bridge this time (he had to mediate way too many fights and disputes in between his members – being a leader and one of the oldest was not easy at all sometimes).

Jaehyun kept stealing glances at Doyoung, while they were both checking out some Christmas themed sweaters. The eldest was somewhere in the front of the store, paying for everything he’d bought, allowing them to spend a little moment by themselves. For a long, long time Jaehyun kept getting overwhelmed with different emotions whenever he was hanging around the slightly older member. He kind of knew what that meant, but tried hard to push everything to the deep depths of his soul, having as a goal to ignore any type of feelings he might have had for the other.

Doyoung carefully picked a checkered shirt, red with black lines all over, trying to think how that would look on the youngest. “Jaehyunnie, can you come with me to the changing rooms real quick?” he asked sheepishly, holding the item behind his back. The boy nodded, soon leading the way towards the said spot. They let Taeyong go ahead to the next shop, as they hadn’t finished inspecting all the clothing racks. The leader just agreed to it, secretly hoping he’d have enough time to buy something to eat and rest for a bit before they went on with the shopping spree.

The cabin was rather small, but they somehow made it work. Both of their thin bodies fit inside, the distance between them being rather short. Doyoung’s cheeks were flushed, but he didn’t hesitate in pulling out the shirt and showing it to the other “Please, try this on.”. He expected Jaehyun to put it over the rest of his clothes, but to his surprise, the boy just starting taking off things, first his jacket, then his sweater, until there wasn’t anything left.

“W-What are you doing?” the older said, covering his eyes, voice going a few notches higher than usual. “Hmm? This is what you have to do if you want to check if a shirt is well-fitted.” the other replied casually, the corners of his mouth lifting to form a sheepish smile. He had a very nice body and he was quite aware of that. The regular ( _huh?_ ) visits to the gym were starting to pay off. His muscles were flexing nicely as he got dressed, Doyoung not resisting the opportunity to take a peek at them.

“Are you really that flustered? We’re both men. This is not a problem.” Jaehyun told him again, wrapping his fingers around the older’s hands to pull them away. His friend yelped as soon as he came face to face with the boy, their bodies being only inches apart. The shirt was hanging loosely on the younger’s shoulders, his milky white skin exposed. He didn’t let go of Doyoung, instead he lifted the hand that he was holding, brushing it lightly against the soft material. “I like this. It’s comfortable. You know me well, hyung.” he continued, a smirk decorating his handsome face.

“G-G-Good. G-Get d-dressed now.” the older stuttered and made an attempt to get out of the changing room, but his body was suddenly pulled in a back hug. He gasped loudly, trying to unwrap his friend’s arms from his thin waist “W-What are you doing?!”. “I just wanted to thank you for being so considerate.” Jaehyun replied, placing a kiss on Doyoung’s cheek “Merry Christmas!”.

The boy yelped in surprise, slightly jumping up and finally getting out of the hold the other had on him. In a few seconds, he was out of the cabin, shouting “You’re welcome!” as he scattered off to the front of the store. After he paid for the shirt, they both went to find their leader, the older keeping a fixed distance of one meter and a half in between them as they walked towards the food court.

“Oh? You’re done so fast?” Taeyong questioned, handing them some cheese rolls he’d bought a bit earlier. Doyoung’s face was turned to a dangerous shade of red and the youngest had a satisfied expression, which took by surprise the one who was now standing in front of them both. “Are you ok, Youngie?” he asked again when he didn’t receive any answer from his friends. “Y-Y-Yeah. It’s just really hot in here.” the said boy replied, refusing to meet his eyes.

Jaehyun chuckled lightly and wrapped an arm around Doyoung’s shoulders, comfortably pulling him closer. “Hyung, I need to buy something for you too. Will you try it on for me?” he teased, poking his tongue out for additional effect. Taeyong couldn’t really grasp what was going on, but he didn’t even want to know (really, he had enough things to deal with already – he still had to pick presents for at least ten of the other members). Their behaviour was a bit unusual, but maybe it was just the Christmas spirit getting to them.

“Just get me a lamp.” the black-haired boy said, surprisingly in a rather steady voice, pushing Jaehyun off of him. He munched on the food their leader had given them, blaming on the hunger the fluttering sensation he felt deep inside. “ _This is gonna be a long day._ ” he thought as they moved to the next store, watching Taeyong as he struggled to pick the perfect children toys for the Dreamies (“Is Chenle into firetrucks or should I get him a train?”).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this one. :3 Feedback is appreciated.  
> Tune in for the next chapter!   
> I wish you all warm and cozy holidays, hopefully filled with lots of smiles and happiness. <3   
> Sending my positive thoughts to you! Stay safe and healthy!


	8. Christmas special Part II (before the chaos)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The C in NCT stands for cute, charming, chaotic. The Christmas special explores the relationships within the team, focusing on all the members.  
> Part II:  
> Yuta, Taeil and Sicheng – I have never  
> Ten and Johnny – Mac and cheesy lines  
> Yang Yang and Xiao Dejun (feat. Hendery and Kun) – Someone save Kun   
> Jaemin, Renjun and Jeno (feat. Mark and Donghyuck) – Mark’s 99 problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry (early) Christmas, everyone! Thank you for reading my story! <3  
> Chapters 7 and 8 are bonus chapters, since I was in the mood for holidays (and I secretly don't want to end this series so soon T-T).  
> They're basically side stories and will not affect the course of the main plot/will not be mentioned in the ending chapter, if you want to skip them.
> 
> T/W: this contains A LOT of swearing and mentions of sexual (?) things; Dreamies!chatroom is back in full force XD

**Yuta, Taeil & Sicheng – I have never**

“Stalinskaya silver? Are you sure we can survive this?” the eldest questioned, looking seemingly afraid of the liquid inside the glass bottle. “We’ll mix it with juice. You won’t feel a thing.” Yuta explained as he pulled out of his bag a few more things, mostly snacks. The three boys were alone in the living room. They had finished decorating the dorms, after quite a lot of bickering over which colours would go better together. As a reward, they’d decided to enjoy some vodka, but it was more of the Japanese boy’s idea. Taeil wasn’t sure how they could make it work, but since Sicheng wasn’t complaining, he also kept his worries to himself.

They all sat down on the couch, the youngest in the middle, hugging a small pillow tightly to his chest. Yuta started pouring alcohol in the tall glasses, slipping a little more in Taeil’s. “Are you trying to knock me out, so you have Sicheng all to yourself?” the other asked, switching drinks with his friend. “Yah. Yah. It’s gonna be fine. Trust me.” the boy replied, filling up the contents with orange juice.

The music was blasting on the speakers – a playlist of Christmas songs picked by the eldest. They had to get in the mood. He had to admit it was quite a nice atmosphere, but he’d rather have rum or wine instead of vodka. Also, he’d cut Yuta from the whole equation, so he could spend some time alone with his favourite member. They’d been fighting over Sicheng for a while and the boy didn’t seem like he was up to choosing only one of them. He never made it clear what his actual feelings were (and honestly, he either didn’t know or didn’t care enough to speak his mind).

“I’m bored. Let’s do something.” Yuta said, just as he finished another glass, placing it on the table. Sicheng looked like he was deep in thought, leaning against the back of the couch. Taeil just switched the song, going for Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you, truly, a classic. “Let’s play a game.” the Chinese boy finally replied, a devious smile appearing on his face, taking the rest by surprise. When there was no response, he continued calmly “I have never.”.

“What’s that?” the eldest questioned, staring in confusion at his friend. Sicheng grinned and began explaining, at the same time walking towards the kitchen to grab three shot glasses “It’s easy. We take turns. For example, I say – _I have never wanted to punch someone_. If you did, you drink.”. Yuta’s eyes grew bigger, finally realizing the opportunities this game could lay out for him “Sounds fun! Let’s do it!”.

Taeil was scared. He was already pretty dizzy, having downed at least three glasses, prior to that moment. The shots weren’t looking appetizing at all – reflected in the colourless liquid he could see himself in the morning, hugging the toilet seat, most probably regretting his choices. Nevertheless, if this was something the majority had agreed to do, he wouldn’t miss it.

“Ok. I’ll start. I have never slept in the practice room.” Sicheng said, drinking one shot right after. The other two did the same, not expecting such a strong attack. “I have never kissed a guy.” Yuta continued, without any hesitation, filling the glasses to the brink, only for them to be emptied again. Taeil took his time, thinking of the best line to shoot at his friends. A few seconds later, he grinned and spoke out (a bit too excited) “I have never wanted to kill Donghyuck.”. “Eeeh, that’s wild. At this rate, we’ll finish the whole bottle.” the Japanese boy replied, but still drank the contents.

Sicheng laughed, face a bit flushed and body soft on the blue cushions “Hmph, I don’t think I know a member of our group that didn’t want to kill Hyuck at some point.”. They were obviously beginning to get tipsy, but still didn’t want to give up. The youngest’s turn was once more, this time round, going for a more unusual line “I have never gotten my heart broken.”. As soon as he finished the sentence, he downed the whole glass, before the others could even register what he’d just said.

“That’s a bit depressing.” Taeil let out, looking worriedly at the boy next to him. Sicheng avoided his gaze, fingers grasping tightly the pillow in his arms. He didn’t want to talk about it, he just wanted to drink one time for such a thing. Alcohol always made things better, numbed the pain and drowned all the memories. He just subtly tried to let his friends know that he wasn’t exactly up for love, even though something deep inside of him was shifting towards certain persons.

Yuta sighed, determined to lighten up the mood with more positive thoughts “My turn, right? I have never had a crush on a guy from NCT.”. They all drank the vodka, but the eyes of the older members were fixated on Sicheng, who was furiously blushing. “Oook, I have never wanted to make out with someone in this room.” Taeil continued, surprising the rest. Once more, they took the shots, the youngest trying to hide his face behind the pillow, shortly after.

“Sicheng? Which one?” the Japanese boy carefully asked, fingers grazing lightly the said one’s wrist. He didn’t say anything, standing still and refusing to look at his friends. “Hey. Are you alright?” Taeil questioned, worry clear in his voice. He placed his hand on the younger’s back, gently sliding it up and down. “I’m fine. I have never liked two people at the same time.” Sicheng finally told them, lifting his head to glare at the glass on the table.

“Are you going to drink to that?” Taeil asked him again, him and the other boy not bothering to touch their drinks. In response, the Chinese member just nodded, gulping down the strong alcohol without a giving it a second thought. “Shit.” Yuta said out loud, wrapping an arm around Sicheng and letting his head fall on his shoulder “He’s drunk.”. The eldest sighed, getting up to take away the bottle.

“Hyuuung. I want more. Please.” the younger boy began saying in Korean, only to finish off the sentence in Chinese. “No. You are going to sleep.” Taeil told him, voice sure and steady. Sicheng’s face was pretty red, decorated by a small frown and a pout on his lips. He didn’t want to end the night so early, but the whole room was spinning.

Yuta looked up at the eldest, biting his lip before asking “Should I take him to my room?”. Taeil eyed the boy suspiciously, but the way the other was clinging to him, made him think that was a good idea. He nodded, watching as the Japanese boy lift Sicheng up in his arms and carried him bridal style to his bed.

As he was gathering the snacks and glasses from the living room table, his head hung low. He loved Sicheng, but so did Yuta. Also, he was pretty sure that the younger had just admitted earlier that he had feelings for both of them. There was only one problem, neither him nor the Japanese member were used to sharing, especially when it came to something like this. It felt just wrong.

While deep in thought, he heard one door open and some rustling behind him. When he turned around, Yuta was awkwardly standing a few inches away from him. “He wants you to sleep with us.” he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Taeil’s eyes grew wider, as he finished hiding the vodka bottle inside a kitchen cupboard. “Come on.” the Japanese boy continued, walking slowly back to his room.

The eldest took the empty spot on the bed, slipping under the covers. The Chinese member was laying on his back, a happy smile lighting up his features. Taeil and Yuta were sitting on their sides, both of them looking at the younger.

“Vodka is a bad idea. Being with you two makes it better. Almost feels like Christmas.” Sicheng said out loud, soon after dozing off, leaving his friends wondering what the hell was that. Certainly a step further in their weird as fuck love triangle.

* * *

**Ten & Johnny – Mac and cheesy lines**

This was one of the good days. They had discussed in advance with their manager to get some time off from practice, if the last group dance went well. Jaehyun, Doyoung and Taeyong were out shopping, Yuta, Taeil and Sicheng were decorating one dorm, Yukhei and Jungwoo wanted to spend a few hours together, so Johnny was left with his friend to relax inside and do whatever their hearts desired.

He’d been craving for a while some mac and cheese, so he got some pasta from the store, along with all the other ingredients to prepare it at home. Later that night, he had to make a video call to his parents and send them his best for the holidays, since he wasn’t able to go back to Chicago and personally enjoy a dinner with them.

Ten was carefully watching from the other side of the counter as the older boiled some water in a pot for his macaroni. “I don’t understand why you suddenly wanted to eat this.” he said, resting his chin on his right hand, head cocked to the side. “Mhmm, you don’t have to eat if you’re not feeling it.” Johnny replied, shrugging and opening one bag.

“I’m just bored. I came here to have fun and you’re just there concentrated on your food.” the younger mumbled, pouting a little at the same time. “Let’s play a game then.” came the reply and his heart began beating faster with excitement, knowing that the two of them always spiced up things in one way or another. “Ten, I think I’d make a good photographer.” Johnny instantly let out, grinning widely.

“Huh? Why?” the other questioned, a bit confused. He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to go, but he tried to play along. “Because I can totally picture me and you together.” the taller man let out, smirking when Ten finally seemed to catch on his idea of a game. As the macaroni was poured into the pot, they both got comfortable, facing each other, ready to see who got the best cheesy pick-up lines.

It was something they used to do when they were trainees, to practice certain languages, mainly Korean, since they were the foreigners in their team. They played around with a lot of phrases and words, sometimes even checking dramas to find the best things they could use. “Do you know what this body is made of?” Ten began, sliding his hands over his thin figure, from his chest down to the margins of his pants. When Johnny just smiled innocently, he continued, feeling a bit proud of the line he’d just got “Boyfriend material.”.

They both laughed out loud, feeling the room getting a bit warmer. “Would you please grab my arm?” the older said, reaching out for his friend. When Ten wrapped his fingers around his wrist, the man simulated a heart attack, pretending to fall off his chair “Now I can tell my friends I’ve been touched by an angel.”. The one in front of him blushed, not expecting such a wonderful reply, but he wasn’t going to let the other win this game.

“Kiss me if I’m wrong, but NCTzens aren’t the best fans in the world.” the Thai boy questioned, freezing in his spot when Johnny leaned his body over the counter, face getting closer to his own. “Oh? Someone’s getting a bit bold and spicy over here.” his friend stated out loud, fingers lightly grazing Ten’s chin. “Shht. Just shoot.” he yelped, backing away for a bit, running from the other’s warm touch.

“Are you from Tennessee? ‘Cause you’re the only Ten I see.” Johnny suddenly said, both going quiet for a few seconds, before bursting out into fits of laughter. When the said boy calmed down, he looked up, determination filling up his eyes. He put on his best poker face, before shooting out another line “Baby, I may not be your gochujang sauce, but I’ll surely spice up your life.”. The taller man gasped as soon as he heard it, turning around, suddenly remembering the macaroni boiling behind them.

“That’s a dirty one. Add more cheese to it, please.” Johnny replied over his shoulder, stirring the contents of the pot and throwing in a curse or two as he scrapped some bits sticking to the bottom of it. “Eh. Your turn, anyway.” Ten shrugged as he got off of his chair to go next to his friend and see what he was doing. Taking advantage of this, the older put the wooden spoon aside, trapping the other in between his arms. “I’m on top of things here. Would you like to be one of them?” he whispered, lips dangerously close to the younger’s.

Leaving any hesitation aside, heart beating as if it was going to jump out of his chest, Ten closed the gap in between them. He tip-toed as he kissed Johnny, fingers threading through his red locks. The man was a bit surprised by the sudden interaction, but he didn’t complain at all, forgetting all about his cooking. He lift the Thai boy up, carefully placing him on the counter, hands sliding on his back.

When they broke apart for air, Ten smirked, cocking his head to the side “Does this mean I’m the winner?”. Johnny clacked his tongue in disagreement, narrowing his eyes “You gave up first though. You lose.”. “Not really. Did you know my lips are like Skittles? You just tasted the rainbow.” the younger shot back, poking his tongue out.

Johnny smiled fondly at him, not saying anything. He felt so much in that moment. They’d been friends for a long time and spent a lot of their holidays together as they were both quite far from their homes, but this had to be the best Christmas ever.

Ten finally got the courage to go past the flirting phase. Running around each other in circles wasn’t doing them any good. On the other hand, acting out on their actual emotions got them further than ever. The only downside was not finishing that mac and cheese. The macaroni sat forgotten in the pot as they both moved to Johnny’s room for a making out session. Now, they were only hungry for each other’s love and cheesy lines. Best game they’d ever played.

* * *

**Yang Yang & Xiao Dejun (feat. Hendery and Kun) – Someone save Kun **

Kun had planned to spend the night with his kids. Everyone else was busy running around doing things – Sicheng, Ten and Yukhei were fooling around with the guys from 127, so he had to babysit. SME had just recently announced that they were going to debut as WayV – giving them enough reasons to enjoy this Christmas and properly celebrate. He was so happy and all he wanted to do was take care of his younger members who were quite nervous, since they didn’t have any experience in performing on stage.

That part was a bit forgotten when they were inside the dorms, by themselves, away from reality. Yang Yang was actively teasing Dejun, getting excited whenever the other got annoyed or started screaming at him. Just a bit earlier, they had gotten a lesson from their leader, who explained to them the importance of facial expressions and acting professionally in front of the cameras. Each day, he tried to give them as many tips and pointers as he could. Their team had to be perfect.

Even so, Kun had to handle their craziness and make sure it didn’t go over the top. Hendery had just gotten out of the shower and was waving a shirt around, singing the chorus to Regular (it honestly sounded like some loud screeching or incoherent noises to the rest). Yang Yang was not paying any attention as he was chasing Dejun around the dorm, cheering when he managed to tackle the boy to the ground.

The leader was sitting quietly on the couch, trying to find a movie that would keep them still and immersed in the action (all of this just to avoid another complaint filed by their neighbors for them being too loud at three in the morning). He thought of choosing the iconic Star Wars series, but didn’t want to be called a boomer again, so he wanted to pick something more recent.

“Hey, what do you say if we watch the Avengers movies?” Kun asked, but no one seemed to be listening to him. Dejun kept chanting “Please, save me.”, as the youngest pinched his sides and bit his shoulder. Hendery was still jamming to their debut song, finally playing it on the speakers and dancing the choreo on top of the living room table.

The oldest looked around, wishing in that moment that someone gifted him for Christmas a bag of horse tranquilizers. He wondered if he should be texting Taeyong – maybe the other had some good ideas on how to keep the members in check, since he’d been with his group of chaotic kids for a long time. Kun had spent some days with the Dreamies, but they were a bit easier to handle, since Mark or Jeno sometimes took the lead in calming the rest (and were pretty good at that, surprisingly).

Before he could do anything more, a boy climbed on his back, arms wrapped tight around him. “I’m begging you. Give him some candy or send him to sleep. It’s past his hours anyway.” Dejun cried out, looking carefully over the older’s shoulder to see where their maknae was. In the middle of the room, Yang Yang was standing still, just smirking. “Come here. I promise I won’t hurt you.” the boy said, calling his terrified friend with a motion of his hand.

“No! You’re insane! Just let me be!” the target complained, voice going a few pitches higher as he clung to their leader, who didn’t seem to be bothered enough to interfere just yet (he was playing with the remote, trying to find a good version of the Avengers on the internet). “I just wanna give you a hug. Why are you rejecting my love and care?” Yang Yang replied, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. “Yah! Hendery! Help me!” Dejun yelled once more, eyes falling on the other person in the room, who was enjoying himself, dressed only in his pajama pants, shirt wrapped around his head, still dancing to Regular.

“Aha!” Kun exclaimed hitting the play button when he finally got what he’d been looking for “Sit down, kids. Let’s watch this.”. Hearing that, the maknae turned around staring at the big screen and frowning. “Boring. We’ve seen it already. I wanna play with Dejun-ge.” Yang Yang told him, walking slowly towards the couch. His victim screamed loud enough to make their leader jump up in surprise and letting a few curses in Chinese escape his mouth.

Suddenly, the dorm went quiet. Hendery stopped dancing and shut off the music, the maknae just gasped, hand automatically covering his lips and Dejun slid off of Kun, scrambling to get as far from him as possible. Everyone knew that the leader was pretty calm, but once his tongue started spitting fire, you had to take cover. “I will fucking kill you all! Sit down and watch the damn movie!” he yelled, slamming the remote on the wooden table and glaring at the boys around him.

As if on cue, all of them found places to sit, facing the TV and not saying a word. Hendery was on the couch, next to the oldest (finally with a shirt on), while Yang Yang and Dejun were on the floor, the maknae embracing the other from behind. The leader finally relaxed, turning the volume a little bit higher to properly enjoy the Avengers. When the first scenes rolled by, someone cut the silence “Oh. Oh. Kun-ge said a bad word.”.

A few seconds later, a pillow flew around the room, hitting Yang Yang in the head. “Hulk smash!” Hendery exclaimed, right after bursting into fits of laughter. Dejun just buried his face in his hands, wondering how he’ll survive in this unit. His future didn’t look too promising, but Kun certainly had it worse than him. With that in mind, he relaxed his body in the maknae’s arms. “Hulk smash!” could be heard inside the room again and Kun groaned loudly. “With great power comes great responsibility.” Dejun said, secretly happy he wasn’t the leader of the new group called WayV.

* * *

**Jaemin, Renjun & Jeno (feat. Mark and Donghyuck) – Mark’s 99 problems**

“So, am I the only one who just saw Chenle and Jisung kissing?” Jeno asked, closing the door behind him. Jaemin was just staring at the dark sky, not saying a word. The Chinese member just scoffed, totally ignoring the other. “Oh, so we're gonna act like that didn't happen?” the boy said again, sitting down next to his friends and stomping his feet to get their attention. “Sure. You just feel like picking a fight with everyone tonight.” Renjun snickered, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was still sulking. They went out just a bit earlier to drink some hot chocolate, but Jeno just had to ruin his evening by saying Donghyuck's high notes are better than his.

Jaemin wrapped an arm around the older's shoulders, pulling him closer “Renjun-ah, calm down. Should I bring you some candies from the dorm?”. The said boy pushed him off, getting up to his feet and standing in front of them both. “I have a really nice voice, you know.” he spoke out as he tried to catch Jeno's gaze. “Yeah, I know. It is about personal preference though.” the other commented, but instead of solving the issue, he just added more fuel to the fire. “Fuck your personal preferences. Your taste sucks.” Renjun lashed out as he crossed his arms over his chest. His target barely moved an inch, just shrugging his shoulders, making the Chinese member even angrier with his nonchalant attitude.

“Ey, ey. Let's just take a minute, ok?” the youngest replied, not enjoying at all the tense atmosphere. “I'll take a fucking minute after he apologizes.” the older boy said, pointing at his friend. Jeno sighed and lift himself off the bench to stand next to Renjun. “I think Chenle and Jisung making out is a bigger problem than you being jealous of Hyuckie.” he responded, mischief gleaming in his brown eyes. As soon as he heard the exchange, Jaemin just felt the sudden urge to hit them both, maybe that would knock some sense into them.

Renjun clenched his tiny fists, now glaring at the one in front of him. He didn't have any reason to be jealous of Donghyuck. His voice was stable, had a nice tone and musicality to it. They couldn't be compared. Also, he could handle lower notes way better than the other member. Jeno was completely mistaken here and being told such thing by his crush, just made it somehow worse.

The wind blew past them, being quite cold outside, especially on the rooftop where they'd decided to continue their night. “What? Do you want to punch me?” the boy teased, poking his tongue out. Right after that, he had to dodge a kick from Renjun, gasping as he stumbled and almost fell on his side. “Yah. Let's not do this. What's wrong with you guys?” Jaemin exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, ready to stop the conflict.

“You really enjoy mocking me, don't you?” the oldest questioned, clearly a lot more furious than before. Jeno stared at him for a bit, watching as he puffed out his cheeks in annoyance, face a bit flushed. It was the moment to put a stop to his bad prank. He wrapped his arms around Renjun's tiny figure, chuckling softly as the other struggled to push him off. “You're just so cute. Donghyuck may hit high notes better, but I'd listen to you sing all day long.” the younger replied, suddenly feeling the boy's body relax in his hold. Renjun was blushing and praying Jeno wouldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating in that moment. He secretly loved this.

Jaemin sighed and sat back down, enjoying the beautiful sight before him. He kind of expected such a thing. Jeno wasn't the type to downplay or attack other people's skills, especially someone as naturally talented as Renjun. You really couldn't say anything bad about him. He worked hard and still tried to improve himself with every comeback. “Best boys – Jenojam and Injunnie.” the youngest spoke out softly, watching as his two friends cringed at his cheesy line.

“That sounds like a Youtube comment.” Jeno laughed, letting go of the one he'd been embracing (the emptiness he felt right then took him a little bit by surprise). “Ok. Now that this is settled, why were Chenle and Jisung all over each other?” he continued, soon after hearing Renjun groan loudly. “Ask them.” the youngest replied, smirking and waving his phone around.

**Best NCT subunit: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Renjunnie, Hyung, Full Sun**

**01:47**

**Jenojam:** We have a situation

 **Full Sun:** What happened this time?

 **Hyung:** Please. tell me the dorm's not on fire

 **Nana:** It's not

 **Renjunnie:** Our maknaes are

 **Full Sun:** Huh? More lines for me I guess...

 **Hyung:** Explain

 **Full Sun:** If they're gone I can get at least Chenle's parts

 **Hyung:** Not you

 **Hyung:** Explain explain

 **Renjunnie:** Hyuckie, you're forgetting who the main vocal is

 **Full Sun:** Keep dreaming, idiot

 **Full Sun:** I am the best and everyone knows it

 **Renjunnie:** As if

 **Renjunnie:** Stop screeching

 **Hyung:** Explain explain

 **Nana:** You broke him

 **Full Sun:** It wasn't me this time

 **Full Sun:** Renjun-ah, let’s meet when Jisung turns 20

 **Hyung:** Explain explain

 **Jenojam:** They were kissing

 **Full Sun:** Who?

 **Renjunnie:** The dumb and dumber

 **Hyung:** No fucking way

 **Full Sun:** Is that why they're being so silent?

 **Nana:** Fed them and tucked them in

 **Nana:** Most probably sleeping

 **Hyung:** But they're babies

 **Jenojam:** Saying that just makes it worse

 **Renjunnie:** I bet it was Chenle's idea

 **Full Sun:** Jisungie is fully capable of starting shit

 **Renjunnie:** Not the horny shit though

 **Hyung:** Explain explain

 **Nana:** Is he drunk?

 **Jenojam:** Probably

 **Full Sun:** As always

 **Nana:** Apple juice?

 **Hyung:** I found half of a vodka bottle in the cupboard

 **Jenojam:** He’s supposed to be the leader *facepalm*

 **Nana:** Wow!

 **Renjunnie:** What are we going to do with the maknaes? *slams fist on the table*

 **Full Sun:** Lock them up

 **Full Sun:** As we should've done a long time ago

 **Hyung:** Explain explain

 **Full Sun:** If you say that one more fucking time

 **Full Sun:** Istg I'll fucking come to your dorm

 **Full Sun:** And shut you up

 **Nana:** Oh oh those are a lot of bad words

 **Jenojam:** It's less than usual though

 **Hyung:** Explain

**Full Sun has removed Hyung from the chatroom Best NCT subunit**

**Jenojam:** Huh?

 **Full Sun:** Finally some peace and quiet

 **Renjunnie:** It would be

 **Renjunnie:** Without you here

 **Full Sun:** Don't fucking start something you can't handle

 **Renjunnie:** I can take you any day, baby

 **Nana:** My eyes are burning

**Full Sun added Hyung to the group**

**Hyung:** What the actual fuck?

 **Hyung:** Are you fucking crazy?

 **Hyung:** Just wait till practice tomorrow

 **Hyung:** You are so dead

 **Full Sun:** We have some serious issues

 **Full Sun:** And it's me you want to kill?

 **Renjunnie:** Chenle and Jisung first

 **Renjunnie:** Please

 **Full Sun:** Since when do you fucking say please?

 **Renjunnie:** *adds one more reason to the list of why I should hit Lee Donghyuck*

 **Jenojam:** Pffft, you'll run out of paper

 **Nana:** I'll buy him extra for Christmas

 **Hyung:** I'll bring the pens

 **Full Sun:** You're all cancelled

 **Renjunnie:** You first

 **Jenojam:** So... did Chenle kiss Jisungie or did Jisungie kiss Chenle?

 **Nana:** Now you're asking the real question

 **Hyung:** Did that really happen?

 **Full Sun:** Oh Canada

 **Full Sun:** Pay attention

 **Renjunnie:** They were under the blankets, basically on top of each other

 **Full Sun:** Ew, these kids don't know what private rooms are for

 **Renjunnie:** And you do?

 **Nana:** He just has a fetish

 **Nana:** Don't judge, Renjun-ah

 **Jenojam:** Hyuckie even does it on camera

 **Full Sun:** Y'all just jealous

 **Full Sun:** Not my fault people just can't keep their hands to themselves

 **Renjunnie:** When you say 'people', you mean you, right?

 **Hyung:** His mouth is the real problem

 **Nana:** I bet it's been places where the light doesn't shine

 **Renjunnie:** Down on someone's dick

 **Renjunnie:** Most probably

 **Full Sun:** Shut the fuck up

 **Full Sun:** At least I am getting some action

 **Full Sun:** You're all single as fuck

 **Hyung:** And you're dating?

 **Renjunnie:** He's not

 **Renjunnie:** He's just fucking around

 **Full Sun:** Are you calling me a whore?

 **Nana:** *grabs popcorn*

 **Jenojam:** Here we go again

 **Renjunnie:** I didn't

 **Renjunnie:** You said it though

 **Renjunnie:** Won't argue on that one *winks*

 **Full Sun:** Bitch

 **Hyung:** Censor yourselves

 **Hyung:** The kids can still read the chat

 **Full Sun:** They are worse than us

 **Renjunnie:** *rolls on the floor laughing*

 **Renjunnie:** No one is worse than you

 **Full Sun:** That's it

 **Full Sun:** I'm coming over

 **Hyung:** Stay put

 **Hyung:** It's fucking 2 am, you idiot

 **Nana:** That's not going to stop him

 **Jenojam:** *sigh* I guess I have to hide the knives again

 **Nana:** Don't forget the umbrellas and the baseball bat

 **Renjunnie:** Don't worry, guys

 **Renjunnie:** I don't need those

 **Renjunnie:** I can kill him with my bare hands

 **Hyung:** *yawn* I'm going to sleep

 **Hyung:** I'll have a serious talk with the kids tomorrow

 **Nana:** Hyuckie doesn't listen to you

 **Hyung:** ChenJi

 **Nana:** They don't listen to you either

 **Jenojam:** Yeah, 'cause they're too busy shoving their tongues down each other's throats

 **Hyung:** Why do you sound so mad?

 **Renjunnie:** He doesn't have anyone to suck face with

 **Hyung:** I'm done

 **Hyung:** _@Full Sun_ you’d better still be at the dorms

 **Nana:** His silence is never a good sign

 **Renjunnie:** I have ducktape

 **Hyung:** I have 99 problems and you little shits are all of them

 **Jenojam:** You sure it’s not Hyuckie?

 **Full Sun:** Merry fucking Christmas

 **Full Sun:** *sends selfie in front of Dreamies apartment block*

 **Full Sun:** I got you a present, Renjunnie

 **Renjunnie:** Fuck

 **Jenojam:** Is that a shovel?

 **Hyung:** Hyuckie, put that down

 **Full Sun:** I will

 **Full Sun:** Once Renjunnie is 2 meters down

 **Jenojam:** Should I call Taeyongie hyung?

 **Renjunnie:** I can handle him, no worries

 **Full Sun:** Ratatatatata motherfuckers

 **Full Sun:** Open the door

 **Full Sun:** Santa's here

 **Hyung:** I need a raise *sigh*

 **Nana:** Fuck

**3:18**

**Big Head No.1:** WHY ARE THE COPS HERE?!

 **Big Head No.1:** I DID NOT KISS JISUNGIE

 **Big Head No.1:** WHAT THE FUCK ARE Y’ALL TALKING ABOUT?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Christmas special is over! I hope you've enjoyed these 2 chapters.  
> I had a lot of fun and I was quite excited to write them. Feedback is appreciated! <3   
> Tune in for the last chapter! :3 I will post it soon. 
> 
> I wish you all warm and cozy holidays, hopefully filled with lots of smiles and happiness. <3  
> Sending my positive thoughts to you! Stay safe and healthy!


	9. Introduction to the marvelous ideas of Lee Donghyuck (part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NCT Dream reveal another part of their wonderful plan, proving they're quite a handful for poor leader Taeyong and his little helpers Doyoung and Kun (the others just end up as collateral victims, really).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and feedback!   
> Thank you for reading this ff!  
> Thank you for sticking with me until this chapter!
> 
> T/W: this contains A LOT of swearing and mentions of sexual (?) things.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one, as we finally get back into action!

All the phones in the room pinged announcing the start of a new vlive for NCT. The leader was a bit confused and curiously touched the screen, unlocking his device and logging into the app to watch the video. It was terrifying. Whatever was coming out of Donghyuck’s mouth was shocking, as well as the clothes and wig he was wearing. When the boy blew to the camera a kiss and shut off the live, Taeyong could see his whole career roll before his eyes, reaching its’ premature demise right in that moment. There was complete silence in the room. No one was saying anything, but some of them were furiously typing comments:

 **Amajohn:** oh oh someone’s in trouble

 **TikTokki:** this better be a joke

 **Fan 1:** Haechannie looks adorable <3

 **Fan 2:** should I give you my number? T-T

 **10outof10:** aww, our Dongsookie is so pretty~

 **Fan 3:** please, please, you’re too young to date

 **Fan 4:** lmao, why does it sound like Mark?

 **Fan 4:** long live MarkHyuck

 **Fan 4:** I told you all they’re real

 **AlwaysKunfused:** we should have caught this one first

 **AlwaysKunfused:** I think I’ve aged 10 more years today

 **Fan 5:** NCT’s comedy is top notch

 **Fan 2:** call me Haechannie *** 7230

 **Baekhyunnies1stFanboy:** I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL KILL YOU

 **Fan 6:** _@Baekhyunnies1stFanboy_ yah! are you a sasaeng?!

 **Fan 7:** everyone please report _@Baekhyunnies1stFanboy_

 **manmanhyung:** share location, Donghyuck-ah

 **manmanhyung:** trust your hyung :)

 **Fan 8:** omg T-T be careful Haechan-ah

 **Amajohn:** oh shit, they’re savage

 **Amajohn:** Taeyongie got banned XD

“WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?!” a loud voice cut through the tense atmosphere. Doyoung looked up, freezing in his spot, but somehow managed to let out a “Who?”. “These two brats.” the manager answered, showing to the rest of them the picture Mark had posted earlier on their Instagram. Unintentionally, Johnny burst out into laughter, being silenced only by their manager’s cold, unforgiving glare. “I erased it, but he added it to the story for 23 times! Fans are sharing screenshots already.” the man said, pulling at his own hair in frustration. 

“Let’s find them all and end this night. We’ll sort it out tomorrow.” Taeil suggested, finally taking the role of the eldest more seriously. He just wanted to rest and avoid any kind of trouble. Just as the others nodded in agreement and got up to put their plan into action, two pings were heard from the leader’s phone:

**00:37**

**From Junguwu:** Hyung, come urgently to the concert hall T-T

 **From Junguwu:** Jisungie and Chenle are doing weird things

* * *

“You need to calm the fuck down. Donghyuck knows what he’s doing.” the boy stated, intertwining his fingers with the other’s. “I can’t help it. I’m nervous.” the older replied, smiling sheepishly and pulling his friend towards the dark hallway. “Don’t be. Whatever happens, you still have me.” his voice was soft and soothing, but his eyes had a certain mischief in them.

They were both walking slowly, thoughts running wild in their heads. All the tasks the Dream member had given them were finished and they got some time to spare before the plan went on. Donghyuck and the rest had to get into their positions, before they could do anything more. The younger pushed his boyfriend into a wall, hand sliding underneath his shirt and lips somehow finding the other’s in the dark. The kiss was rushed and messy, tongues fighting each other.

It was the best thing they could do until the chaos broke out again inside the venue. Dejun snaked his arms around the other’s neck, closing the distance in between their bodies. He moaned softly into Yang Yang’s mouth, as the boy’s cold fingers travelled across his exposed back. “Not here.” the older mumbled, trying to catch his breath at the same time. The younger pulled him towards the door next to them, kissing him once more as he pressed his hand against the doorknob.

They stumbled into the room, Yang Yang tripping and falling on his back with Dejun on top of him. The older was giggling cutely, struggling to drag the shirt over his head, not realizing they weren’t alone there. “Yah. We don’t have much time. Take it off faster.” his boyfriend scolded, placing small kisses all over the other’s naked chest. “What if Donghyuck says they’re done?” Dejun questioned and chewed on his lower lip nervously. “Let’s just ignore him. I want you now.” Yang Yang replied, before wrapping his arms around the older’s thin waist to bring him closer.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” someone screamed, interrupting the boys’ hot moment. They both jumped up in surprise, Dejun hiding behind the younger to block the view to his exposed upper body. Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, staring intensely at the ones in front of him. “Good thing it’s not manager hyung.” Mark sighed and sat down on the couch, motioning to Yang Yang to close the door, to which he silently complied.

“Umm… Uuuh… Everything is ready.” Dejun told them, smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, Hendery hyung texted us.” Donghyuck replied and began getting rid of his woman-like appearance, throwing the wig in the furthest corner of the room. “We’re just waiting for the rest to get here and we’ll be on the move.” the Canadian boy continued, checking his phone again to see if there were any new messages.

“Can they handle tying all of them down if you’re both… busy?” the Dream member asked as he unzipped his dress. “Mhmm, Jungwoo hyung convinced some staff to help us. His aegyo is really effective. We’ll _probably_ be there on time though…” Yang Yang informed them and turned his head to place a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, making the other blush. Donghyuck rolled his eyes, then looked at Mark for a second, seemingly deep in thought, and back at the two lovebirds. “The room next to this one is empty… And it has a lock.” he replied, winking at his same-age friend, a grin spreading on his face right after.

“I owe you one.” Yang Yang yelled as he pulled Dejun out of the room in a rush. “Why?” Mark questioned, confusion clear on his features. “I’d want the same. With you.” Donghyuck said, biting his lip, eyes filled with excitement as he looked at his best friend. “To get the opportunity to fuck each other or… for a real relationship like they have?” the Canadian boy asked once more, getting up from the couch and walking towards the younger.

Donghyuck could feel his face getting warmer and warmer as his mind struggled to get out of the current situation. Mark was staring at him intensely, bodies only inches apart “Hyuckie?”. Before the other could give his reply, the door opened again, making them jump up in surprise.

“I don’t have much time left, so y’all better make this good.” Chenle said, walking nonchalantly towards the mirror to fix his disheveled hair. Jisung followed him inside, sighing deeply as if he ran a whole marathon and this was the finish line. “Where are the rest?” Donghyuck asked, looking at the entrance with slight annoyance on his face.

“Just… Give them five minutes.” the maknae replied, blush creeping on his cheeks. “Oh, not this again! At least tell them the room next to this one is already taken.” Mark groaned loudly and waved his hands around in frustration. Chenle smirked, turning around to look at his members “You can actually hear them if you listen carefully.”. “Get dressed. You’re too young for that, kid.” Donghyuck told him, giving each of the boys a costume.

* * *

Renjun stood awkwardly in between his two friends, avoiding their gazes. He and Jeno had wandered the hallways until they got the text messages on the group chat. They talked for a bit, getting more comfortable with each other once more. Just as they were about to go into dressing room number 5, that Donghyuck had mentioned, the rest of the Dreamies caught up with them. As Jaemin had instructed, the youngsters went past the door, with a few complaints from Chenle who was a bit too curious and wanted to know what was so important that they had to discuss it before the end of this night. Really, it could’ve waited, but someone was a bit impatient and just had to get some things off of his chest.

“I like you. Both.” Jaemin blurted out, taking the other two by surprise. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen, I don’t know if you feel the same, but the feelings I have are just too special for me to just ignore.” he continued, staring down at his hands in order to hide the redness of his face. Jeno was chewing nervously on his lower lip, trying to calm down his heart, which was beating way too fast in that moment. The Chinese boy was deep in thought, replaying in his mind all the interactions that had happened in the past months and included all of them.

It felt too real, but at the same time too good to be true. There were so many questions and not enough answers. They had so many uncertainties and seemingly, not enough courage to sort them all out by being completely honest with each other. Renjun could say for sure that he’d been hiding his feelings for so long, that speaking about them was not something easy to do. It was too unusual, especially letting the words out of his mouth and have the rest actually hear them and see through his whole façade. That truly scared and pushed him to respect the younger even more for being the one to break the ice.

Jeno was confused. He wanted Renjun, but also wanted Jaemin and didn’t know what to do with that. The first one was really unique and they’d been friends for quite a few years, supporting one another and enjoying nice moments together. With all the memories that had crossed his mind and he still couldn’t tell if he actually had any romantic feelings towards Renjun or it was just his heart playing tricks on him.

Maybe something had changed after hearing the boy’s confession. Maybe he realized he’d been loving him without putting a label to it and all those times he had thought that Renjun’s got a smile which made his insides twist or when their hands seemed to fit perfectly together weren’t just him being a good bestie. Their bond was pretty strong and it hurt more than it should have when the other told him what he felt and for how long. He had thought of betrayal and how the things could have played out if he had known about that before he fell for Jaemin.

Getting back to the second one, if Renjun didn’t seem like his first love, the younger was that for sure. When he began having feelings for Jaemin, he got the full package (that he didn’t really ask for): butterflies and rainbows when the boy smiled, speedy heartbeat whenever they touched, rolling scenario after scenario in his head before he went to bed, wishing they’d get to spend more and more time together, dreaming of holding his crush into his arms and…

Ah, kissing. That didn’t turn out so well. In his thoughts, he’d take Jaemin to the Han River, have a nice date riding their bicycles, eat instant ramyun and as the younger would stare at the sky with his beautiful, brown eyes, Jeno would lean in and snatch a quick peck, gentle and unexperienced. Instead of that typical teenage movie scene, the boy was pushed to the brink of frustration and confessed in the spur of the moment, right before making out with his crush hastily and getting rejected. Knowing right now that Jaemin also liked Renjun, made those memories less embarrassing and painful, helping him understand the reasons behind every action.

On the other hand, the youngest of them three was the most stubborn and set out on fixing the weird relationship they had. They’d been blocking their own happiness for way too long and now was the right moment ( _not really?! like, dude, you’re literally being hunted_ ) to clarify everything. Even though he was feeling a bit flustered, he tried hard to fight back any second thoughts he had about this and tell them exactly what was on his mind. That didn’t turn out too well. The rest were not saying anything and his sudden confession just seemed to make the things even more awkward.

“Hahaha, you shouldn’t joke about something like that.” Renjun replied, forcing himself to fake a laugh. “I’m not. When this is over, we should all go on a date.” Jaemin pushed and crossed his arms over his chest, straightening out his back and lifting up his head to meet the other’s eyes. “Now… That sounds even weirder than the sexting between Mark hyung and Hyuckie.” Jeno told them, raising an eyebrow, before shuddering at the memory of Chenle and Jisung reading those messages.

“If you don’t feel the same, just tell me, but this has gotta stop.” the youngest commented, pulling at his own hair in frustration. “This? What is this?” Renjun asked and struggled to hide from Jaemin’s glare. “Us acting like nothing’s wrong. Us flirting with each other and not doing anything about it. Us pretending that these bottled up feelings are not ruining whatever friendship we may have.” he continued, surprising his two friends with the maturity in his tone.

Jeno leaned against the wall, staring at his feet and trying to find the best response. Jaemin’s words were making sense in his mind, but he didn’t feel ready to accept any of it. How could they make it work by going out with one more person at the same time, when normal couples are usually composed of two people? “Jaemin-ah, I’ve told you before how I feel and you rejected me. Honestly, I haven’t even thought until today about my relationship with Renjunnie… and I’m guilty of hurting him these past months. I want to make up for that first.” Jeno spoke out softly, fingers unconsciously reaching for the older member’s hand to grasp it.

Renjun gasped at the sudden interaction, but did not push the boy away. He could feel the other’s sincerity through his words and that made his heart flutter again. “I… I’ve already said that I like you both. Maybe not in the same way. Maybe not with the same intensity. But I do.” the Chinese boy slowly let out and began to feel uncomfortable as two pairs of eyes were following his every move and expression.

“I’ve only asked for one date. Give me that and I believe we can sort it out.” Jaemin continued, weight slowly getting lifted off of his chest. Jeno smiled sheepishly at him, the tense atmosphere suddenly dissipating. He was still not letting go of the older’s hand, but that didn’t bother the other boy too much. Jaemin got closer to them both, reaching out with his arms to pull them into a hug. Renjun hesitated at first, but didn’t reject the sudden display of affection.

“Yah! We have things to do and you’re here getting all mushy with each other?! Move your damn asses!” Donghyuck yelled, making the other three cringe as his piercing voice hurt their ears. “You dare to call yourself a singer?! How can you fucking screech like that?!” Renjun retorted and bumped shoulders with the younger as he went past him inside the room, face as red as a tomato.

“Calm down, Donghyuck-ah. We cannot kill him yet. We still need him. Calm down.” Donghyuck chanted to himself, breathing in and out and glaring at Renjun. Jeno closed the door behind them, feeling shivers across his whole body from excitement. The others were already dressed in black school uniforms, jackets hanging loosely over some simple white shirts. Jaemin eyed them suspiciously, before asking the real question “Sooo… what’s the plan?”.

* * *

After Jungwoo’s cryptic message, everyone rushed to the concert hall to find out what was happening, including their furious manager. “Let’s hope they didn’t break anything. This set is damn expensive.” the man said as he led all the boys into the large venue. To their surprise, the place was completely empty and the lights were also off. They carefully stepped inside, the ones in the front of the group struggling to turn on the flashes on their phones.

Right in that moment, Taeyong received another text from his younger member, saying “ _Donghyuck’s friends are pretty scary, hyung. Come fast!_ ”. Doyoung, who was right behind him, read the message over the boy’s shoulder and gasped. “You didn’t tell me Jungwoo is the one who called us here.” he commented and began looking around, with a worried expression on his face. “Did it matter?” the leader questioned, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the other. “Yes, you idiot! He’s the one who tied me up!” Doyoung screamed, covering the rattling sounds that could be faintly heard next to the exit.

“Ummm, guys?” Sicheng said out loud, trying to get their attention as he clung to both Taeil and Yuta as if his life depended on it. Instead of listening to him, the older members were still fighting each other. “You should have informed us earlier!” Taeyong responded and waved his hands around in frustration. “Doesn’t matter. We have to get out of here.” Doyoung shot back, pointing towards the door behind them, but no one moved an inch.

The Chinese boy shuddered as he heard the rattling getting closer and closer to him “Hyung? I’m scared.”. “Don’t be. I’ll fight anyone who touches my sweet Win Win.” Taeil attempted to calm him down, at the same time grasping the other’s hand a little bit tighter. Yuta rolled his eyes, annoyed at the cheesiness in the older’s tone, and wrapped one arm around Sicheng’s waist, slightly pulling the boy towards him and away from Taeil. “Mine.” he simply stated and grinned from ear to ear.

“Are y’all even listening to me?! Let’s leave!” Doyoung yelled, facing his friends and getting in between the bickering duo. “Ok. Ok. Get out before he bursts.” Johnny joked and began walking towards the exit. He pulled at the handle, trying to open the door, but it was locked. Right in that moment, the rattling got louder and someone’s high pitched scream pierced the silence. “Ten?!” the tall member exclaimed, but there was no answer.

“Open the damn door!” the manager told them, pushing the boys aside to make his way to where Johnny was standing. “S-S-Something touched my neck.” Taeyong stated and looked at Doyoung, panic clear on his features. As soon as he finished that phrase, two hands pulled him away into the darkness, making the rest gasp out loud. “We’re fucked.” Johnny commented and clung to the man next to him.

Taeil and Yuta were suddenly getting along, trying to protect Sicheng by keeping him close to them. Kun just awkwardly stood there, using his phone’s torch to look around the place. The stage was not too far away from them, Jaehyun leaning comfortably against the fence that was meant to separate the seats from the rest of the venue. One boy unconsciously invaded the other’s personal space, slightly bumping feet with him.

“Don’t tell me you’re also scared?” the younger teased, chuckling when Doyoung glared at him. “I-I’m not.” he replied (and would’ve said more if it wasn’t for their manager and Johnny screaming from the top of their lungs). Jaehyun sighed, wrapping an arm around his member’s shoulders and luckily it was dark enough, so the rest wouldn’t be able to notice how red his ears actually were. “I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry.” he whispered to Doyoung, lips brushing a little against his warm skin. The older felt shivers going up and down his spine, but still grasped Jaehyun’s hand as tight as he possibly could.

A booming voice was suddenly heard throughout the venue, the cute tone taking them all by surprise “Kun-ge, come play with us~!”. “YUKHEI! You’re helping them?! I swear I will fuck-“ the WayV leader began, but was interrupted by Taeil’s coughing, who got a bit flustered by the younger’s ( _almost_ ) swearing. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. They were all trying to figure out what was going on and where the younger was.

“SURPRISE!” Yukhei shouted, using a torch to light up his features, making at least half of them scream. In almost an instant, he grabbed Kun in his arms and disappeared back to where he’d come from, covering the older’s mouth with his hand to keep him from communicating with the rest. “This is fucking scary!” Sicheng whimpered, pulling both of his admirers closer to him. A few meters away from them, Jaehyun was back hugging Doyoung, chin resting on the other’s shoulder. “Should we run away and leave them?” he whispered again, his breath lingering on the boy’s exposed neck.

The older nodded gently, wrapping his fingers around Jaehyun’s wrist, ready to bolt from the scene. “Oh, no. You don’t want to see what we’ve prepared so thoroughly?” Jungwoo mused, right next to his two hyungs, an innocent pout on his plump lips. Doyoung gasped as he felt himself being pulled apart from the younger member. “YAH!” he yelled and tried to fight back, but Jungwoo was surprisingly strong. Jaehyun made an attempt to save him, but one smaller boy interfered, by wrapping chains around his body.

“What the actual fuck?!” he exclaimed, turning around in surprise to glare at the other. Hendery gave him a wink and placed the lock at the end of the metallic ‘rope’. “I’m sorry. I know you’re older and we don’t really know each other, but…” he began saying as he dragged Jaehyun towards the front seats, where the rest of the men were waiting, tied up to the chairs.

Sicheng could hear screaming and groaning and that scared the shit out of him. Yuta and Taeil were still clinging to his sides and he was really thankful for that. Of course, Hendery and Yukhei had to be involved. Where there was trouble, there was WayV. They should really have included that in their group’s motto. One thing they really didn’t take into account: the most disastrous member was missing. This wasn’t going to end well.

“Where is Yang Yang?” the Chinese boy questioned out loud and soon regretted ever opening his mouth. That was all it took to summon the little devil. “Miss me?” the younger shot back, standing right in front of Sicheng, whose eyes were growing wider. “No.” came the reply and he knew something bad was gonna happen… soon. “Stay away from Win Win.” Taeil threatened, placing his body in between the two boys and glaring at Yang Yang. “Don’t worry. I’m taken and… not interested.” he told the older and winked at him, soon after a smirk decorating his handsome features. He pointed behind the trio, making them all shift their attention towards the back.

Dejun stood there innocently, just staring at them. He suddenly bowed 90 degrees and opened his mouth to speak “Hello, I’m Xiao Dejun. Pleased to finally meet you… Nakamoto Yuta.”. The boy latched onto the older, holding him tightly in his arms and struggling to pull him away from the rest. “You’re insane! Sicheng, trust oppa! We’ll be fine!” Yuta screamed, before his mouth was covered by someone’s cold fingers.

Taeil burst into laughter, clapping in excitement and jumping up and down. “Thank you! Thank you! This is a blessing!” he cheered and shook Yang Yang’s hand, then bowed to him in appreciation. The younger just looked at him weirdly, trying to catch Sicheng’s gaze in that moment. “Is he… usually like this?” he asked carefully, pointing at the other. His team member just shrugged and pat Taeil on the back to make him stand up straight once more.

“Ok. Are you two coming willingly or do I need to use force?” Yukhei asked out of nowhere, interrupting their conversation. Some thick chains were hanging loosely from his hands and considering Sicheng’s shocked expression, everyone could tell that he had no intention of touching those. “Where do you want me?” he replied and moved to stand next to the tall boy.

When all of the members (and their manager) were seated, the lights went on, revealing the intricate set-up on the stage. “Mhmm, that’s a really nice view.” Jungwoo plainly stated, inspecting the chains that were used to tie up all of his friends. “Now is not the moment, baby.” Yukhei replied and dragged his boyfriend away from the rest. “What? What did I say?” the older told him, smiling innocently. “Nothing much, but I know what you’re thinking.” the other said once more and blushed profusely.

“I’m not the only one though. Have you seen Dejunnie’s hickeys? That’s why they’ve been missing for so long.” Jungwoo commented, giggling as he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. Yang Yang rolled his eyes, back hugging his partner and opening his mouth to speak “Oh, please. We got approval from Donghyuck, so we’re good.”.

“CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!” Taeyong suddenly screamed interrupting their useless banter. “Language.” the manager told him, staring at the ceiling, already having given up on any of his attempts to escape. “Sorry. Can someone PLEASE tell me what the fuck is going on?!” the leader questioned again, eliciting some soft chuckles from his members.

Jungwoo walked over to the margins of the stage and smiled fondly at the ones in front of him “Yukhei and I thought we should give you a bonus for working so hard. Welcome to NCT Dream – The After show!”. He turned on the presentation, featuring some dance practice clips for the 119 performance (“ _Why is Yukhei half-naked?!_ ” “ _Is he the one who taught them that?!_ ” “ _Why is Jeno taking off his shirt?!_ ” “ _They’re children, for fuck’s sake!_ ” – could be heard as the video played on). Hendery lowered the volume on the speakers and allowed Jungwoo to continue his speech “As you know, our Dreamies are almost adults. They have decided to make a special vlive to honor this occasion. Please, enjoy!”. When he finished talking, he motioned for the boy in front of the laptop to turn on the app, in full screen and HD.

“WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY ON THE ROOFTOP?!” Kun suddenly yelled and jumped up and down in his seat, trying to release himself from his ties. “IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS?!” Doyoung continued, eyes almost as wide as saucers. The manager’s gaze fell on his lap, a loud sigh escaping his mouth “I’m so getting fired after tonight…”.

* * *

Jisung simply inspected the items placed on the floor. He looked up suspiciously at Donghyuck, still wondering why he had to do it. “Trust your hyung, Jisung-ah.” he said, patting the younger on the shoulder. It was still cold outside and the wind was blowing strongly, somehow trying to tell them that it was gonna start pouring soon enough. Chenle had set up the camera near the entrance to the rooftop, covering it with a plastic bag, just in case.

The leader gathered them all around for one final “YO Dream!”, then turned on the vlive to go on with their plan. “1, 2, 3. To the world, this is NCT. Hello, everyone. Did you like the surprises we have prepared for you today? I guess they were quite… shocking.” Mark began, settling in the middle of the group. “Especially your girlfriend. Couldn’t you find a prettier one?” Renjun questioned and smirked while looking at the boy next to him.

Donghyuck cracked his knuckles, taking a menacing pose as he faced his small friend. “Yah! How can you speak like that?” he retorted and slightly pushed Renjun. “Ha! Did you even see her? Mark hyung can definitely do better!” the other continued, clapping his hands in excitement. The bold reply annoyed the younger even more. He grabbed his friend by the collar, pulling him closer to his face. “Say that again, Renjeon-ssi!” came the threat as the atmosphere started to become tenser.

“It’s Renjun! Renjun!” the said boy complained and wrapped his fingers around his attacker’s wrists. “Yah! Yah! Don’t fight!” Mark interfered, trying to split them up, but was pushed to the ground at full force by his two members. Jisung gasped out loud, rushing to the leader to see if he was ok. Chenle was cracking up a bit further from the group, while Jaemin and Jeno also made attempts at calming them all down.

Donghyuck wasn’t having any of it. He kept screaming at Renjun and the other replied with the same energy. As they kept bickering, the younger boy suddenly swung his fist, but instead of hitting his target, his punch made contact with someone else’s face. The maknae fell on his ass, hand cupping his red cheek, a shocked expression on his soft features.

“I WILL MURDER YOU! JISUNGIE!” Jaemin exclaimed and rushed to the other’s side in an instant. “Ooops?” Donghyuck said, smiling sheepishly. Renjun took advantage of him being off guard and jumped, tackling the boy on the concrete floor. They kept pulling at each other’s clothes, fighting and yelling things that couldn’t really be understood, under the shocked gazes of their friends.

Mark’s eyes grew wider as he realized all of it could also be seen by the thousands of people tuned in to their live. He wanted to go and stop the cameras from rolling, but something grabbed his ankle, making him fall back to the ground. Donghyuck climbed on top of his leader, hands clinging to his shirt as he pleaded his case “Why aren’t you helping me, _hyung_?! I’m your girlfriend after all!”. The older’s face went red and he struggled to push that guy off of him. When he almost managed to do that, more weight was added to the pile. Renjun had jumped on Donghyuck’s back, arms wrapped around his throat.

“Jeno-yah, stop them! They’re going to kill each other!” Jaemin told his friend, who was just staring and not moving an inch. “No. No. That’s good!” Chenle replied and back hugged Jeno to stop him from breaking the fight. The maknae finally woke up from his daze, getting up and walking towards the two standing members, on wobbly feet. “Chenle-yah, let him go.” he said, trying to release the older one from the Chinese boy’s strong hold.

Chenle refused to listen and pushed Jisung, which seemed to trigger someone else. Jaemin growled and stomped his feet, coming face to face with the other. “Stop attacking my baby!” he said in a cute tone, making the younger scrunch up his nose in disgust. “Oh, yeah? What about it?” Chenle teased and sat on top of the maknae, who struggled to release himself with all his force, but couldn’t.

Jeno looked around, not knowing for sure which of his members needed help first: Renjun and Donghyuck were still fighting, with Mark being a collateral victim – some punches hit him as he tried to stop them, while Jaemin was chasing Chenle around. Before the older could catch him, the boy pulled Jisung off camera and some mysterious noises began to infiltrate in between all the scream and shouting.

Then, the poor isolated member walked in front of the filming device and just shrugged “I guess you’re in for a treat tonight.”. He couldn’t say anything more to the fans, as Jaemin pushed him to the side to steal his spotlight. His hair was disheveled and his clothes weren’t sitting straight. “Czennies, I cannot stop the devil child. Chenle is doing… weird things to Jisungie.” he told the camera, for a moment shifting his gaze to another direction, a terrified expression on his face.

Suddenly, the maknae cried out loud, making them all stop whatever they were doing. “No, no, no. Please, Chenle-yah!” he begged in a high pitched voice and on the side of the screen people could see the boy trying to drag himself over the concrete and away from his best friend. His eyes were bruised, his shirt was dirty, with something red and black splattered across of it ( _all of them guessed it had to be blood and dirt_ ). “Jisungie!” Jaemin yelled and ran towards Chenle, pulling him off of the younger and caging him in his strong arms.

Jeno finally decided that it was the time to do something. He tried to help Mark and stop the whole tense situation started by the two mischievous members. As Jisung was still crawling dramatically over the floor, the leader held Donghyuck in a tight hug to prevent him from attacking the other any longer. Renjun was swinging his hands and feet as he tried to release himself from Jeno’s hold. “Call me Renjeon! Come on! Let’s see what happens!” the boy dared his friend, shooting lasers from his eyes. “Renjeon, Renjeon, Renjeon. Mark’s girlfriend is prettier than you’ll ever be!” Donghyuck shot back and poked his tongue out, now wrapping his arms around Mark’s waist to embrace him lovingly.

“Shut up for fuck’s sake! Both of you!” the leader shouted and made an attempt at covering up the younger’s mouth with his hand. Chenle’s dolphin scream pierced their ears and slightly dragged the attention away from the rest of the members. Jaemin was sitting on top of him, pinching his sides from time to time and holding his wrists to keep him from running away or fighting back. Jisung crawled towards them, standing up on his ass and wiping the blood off of his plump lips with his black sleeve. “Hyung… I think I’m bleeding.” he spoke softly as he got teary-eyed. 

* * *

“THEY ARE FIGHTING ON CAMERAS!” the manager screamed, looking quite furious. “Oh, no! Jisungie is hurt!” Doyoung replied worriedly. Taeyong felt like sinking into his chair and disappearing from existence “What did I do to deserve this group?”. Kun seemed like he was going to explode pretty soon, as his face was a dangerous shade of red “RELEASE US RIGHT NOW! JUNGWOO! YUKHEI! YANG YANG! DEJUNNIE! HENDERY!”. The said boys just smiled and turned the volume higher, sitting comfortably back down on the dusty stage and staring at the big screen as the 7 Dreamies began fighting again, this time even more aggressively.

“This is the end of NCT. I’ve trained 9 years to have my career ended by a bunch of kids.” Johnny sighed, staring at his lap in dismay. “Rooftop fight looks cool though. Gotta at least give them that.” Ten simply stated and struggled to release the pressure of the chains on one of his arms to grab Johnny’s hand. “IT LOOKS COOL?! OF COURSE IT IS YOU THAT THINKS THAT!” Kun exclaimed, bending towards the front to glare at the younger.

“Do we have any holy water around here?” Yuta began calmly and leaned against the back of his chair. “Some of y’all look in urgent need of a lot of it.” he continued, shifting all the attention to him. “Dreamies first. Let’s bathe them in holy water and wash their mouths with it. So much swearing…” Taeil replied and shook his head as a sign of disapproval of their actions. “YOU CANNOT USE IT IN HELL! THIS CANNOT BE REAL!” the manager cried out.

“I’ve told you before that we should call an exorcist.” Kun whispered to the other leader, sighing deeply right after. “I don’t think one is enough.” Doyoung interfered and stared at the big screen with a terrified expression on his face (Renjun was currently trying to strangle Donghyuck, as Jeno and Mark struggled to pull them apart). “It’s too late for them.” Jaehyun commented, although he wasn’t really interested in whatever was happening. He was just a bit glad Chenle was getting his ass kicked by Jaemin for torturing their poor maknae (“ _Oh, sweet, sweet Karma!_ ”).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! <3 <3 <3 Sending you lots of positive thoughts and hugs!  
> I've been planning the ending of this for a few weeks and I'm glad I finally get to reveal what these kids were going to do.  
> Jisung is an adult now, so I just had to dig into the rooftop fight! 
> 
> Also, for anyone who's not sure about the usernames, see explanation below:  
> Amajohn - obviously, it's Johnny!  
> TikTokki - (bunny) Doyoung  
> AlwaysKunfused - Kun  
> Baekhyunnies1stFanboy - Taeyong  
> manmanhyung - the manager
> 
> Feedback and smiles are appreciated!   
> PS: this is not the last chapter ;)


	10. Battle Royale feat. NCT (Dream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The winner of NCT Dream's Rooftop fight is finally decided, through their blood, sweat and tears.  
> Meanwhile, the other members react to the vlive and to a shocking reveal from one of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the feedback and kudos! <3  
> Thank you for reaching chapter 10! <3 Also, this ff has surpassed 3k views! T-T 
> 
> I hope you also enjoy this chapter. We are getting closer to the end. ;-; 
> 
> T/W: this contains A LOT of swearing and mentions of sexual (?) things.

**01:36**

**Fan 1:** omg Haechannie hit Renjun so hard

 **Fan 2:** we’re getting Rooftop fight earlier than expected

 **Fan 3:** whoever wrote this script

 **Fan 3:** must be damn crazy

 **Fan 4:** where’s the manager?

 **Fan 4:** are they even allowed to do this?

 **Fan 5:** Jisung is still a minor

 **Fan 5:** wtf

 **Fan 6:** lmao NCT blessing us with so much content today

Behind the camera, Chenle was secretly reading comments and holding back his laughter. Meanwhile, Jaemin was busy fixing Jisung’s make-up, as the boy was making random sounds and from time to time he said a thing or two about his best friend (“ _Chenle-yah, not my face._ _I’m begging you!_ ”). 

In front of the recording device, it was quite the match: Jeno was now fighting Donghyuck and obviously winning, standing on top of the younger and pretending to punch him continuously. On the other side, Mark was struggling to keep Renjun from joining them. The Chinese member was screaming profanities and reaching out his arms to grasp at Donghyuck’s clothes. The leader was holding him from behind and dragging him over the cold floor, as far away from all the action as possible.

Out of the blue, the handle started shaking, surprising all of them. Jaemin rushed to the door, taking a chair with him to block it, just in case. Chenle paused the live and gave his friends a few seconds to catch their breath, watching as everyone got up from the ground and moved towards the target of their attention.

“Who is it?” Jaemin asked carefully, but there was no reply. “Are we in trouble?” Jisung wondered out loud, chewing nervously on his lower lip. The doorknob moved again, causing the boy to take a step back. “Open it. It’s just me.” someone said calmly and the Dreamies didn’t seem like they bought that. “How can we know the rest are not there too?” Donghyuck questioned him boldly, crossing his arms over his chest, even if the other couldn’t see it.

They heard a loud sigh, then there was a moment of silence before their phones pinged. Jaemin pulled it out of his pocket, checking the message he’d just received. He burst out into laughter and showed it to the rest, eliciting the same reaction from them: Yukhei was standing in the empty staircase, a stern expression on his handsome features as he flipped them off. Right below the picture, the message written was just as aggressive.

**Free the Dreamies 2k20: Nana, Jenojam, Big Head No.1, Little Chick, Full Sun, Renjunnie, Dreamy Hyung, YasssKween, I can show you the world, OT8NCTDREAM, I’m not your baby, Xiao Dejun**

**00:50**

**Full Sun:** Everyone is dressed

 **Full Sun:** Did you tie them up?

 **YasssKween:** Work in progress

 **YasssKween:** We’re missing XiaoYang

 **Dream Hyung:** Ohohoho, I bet you do

 **I can show you the world:** What’s that supposed to mean?

 **Big Head No.1:** Aaah, mmmh

 **Big Head No.1:** Yes, baby! Right there!

 **Big Head No.1:** Fuck me like there’s no tomorrow

 **Nana:** Chenle! Language, child!

 **Big Head No.1:** It’s basically copy & paste

 **Big Head No.1:** I’m not actually saying it

 **I can show you the world:** Are they seriously getting it on right now?!

 **YasssKween:** Ugh, I’m jealous

 **Full Sun:** Can you handle it without them?

 **Full Sun:** Yang Yang said you’ll be fine

 **Renjunnie:** And you believed him? *facepalm*

 **OT8NCTDREAM:** We have 6 more to catch

 **OT8NCTDREAM:** But I’m going after Kun-ge alone

 **Big Head No.1:** I think they’re done

 **I can show you the world:** That fast?!

 **I can show you the world:** Doesn’t seem right

 **I’m not your baby:** Wtf are y’all talking about?!

 **YasssKween:** You getting some ass

 **YasssKween:** While we’re stuck doing tasks T-T

 **OT8NCTDREAM:** As a punishment

 **OT8NCTDREAM:** You guys take down Yuta hyung

 **Xiao Dejun:** You mean THE Nakamoto Yuta?!

 **Xiao Dejun:** No, thanks

 **Xiao Dejun:** I don’t have a death wish

 **I can show you the world:** You got laid

 **I can show you the world:** You must pay the price

 **Xiao Dejun:** …

 **I’m not your baby:** I’ll help you, babe

 **I’m not your baby:** Don’t worry ;)

 **Jenojam:** And I who though Hyuckie and Renjeon had dirty mouths -_-

 **Renjunnie:** That dirty mouth is about to go off

 **Renjunnie:** If you type my name wrong again :)

 **Full Sun:** *rolling on the floor laughing*

 **Renjunnie:** *pulling out shotgun*

 **Renjunnie:** Which one of you wants to go first?

 **YasssKween:** Yes! That’s the attitude we need!

 **Dreamy Hyung:** Classic Dream energy >.<

**01:21**

**I can show you the world:** We’re done, guys

 **Full Sun:** Good. I was starting to get bored

 **I’m not your baby:** Can we go for the second round now?

 **Dreamy Hyung:** Of course

 **Dreamy Hyung:** We’re already set-up on the rooftop

 **I’m not your baby:** That’s not what I’m talking about *smirks*

 **Renjunnie:** *sighs* Can you keep it in your pants for once?!

 **Nana:** Stop talking about… cooking, will you?

 **Full Sun:** Sex, Jaemin-ah, s-e-x

 **Full Sun:** Jisungie, may be young, but probably knows more than us

 **Little Chick:** What I hear in NCT 127’s dorms is worse than this whole conversation

 **Big Head No.1:** I second that *laughs hysterically*

 **Nana:** *gasp* You’re not going there ever again

 **Renjunnie:** Don’t be mad you’re not getting any, Jaeminnie

 **Nana:** I would be getting some

 **Nana:** If you and Jeno accepted that date ;)

 **Jenojam:** Don’t drag me into this

 **YasssKween:** Press play

 **YasssKween:** Plan sexcapades later, please

**01:43**

**OT8NCTDREAM:** *sends photo to the group*

 **OT8NCTDREAM:** Fuck you all, except for Jisungie and Chenle

 **OT8NCTDREAM:** They’re still off limits

 **Nana:** Even after 2021 Jisungie is a no-no

 **Nana:** He’s my baby :3

 **I can show you the world:** What about Chenle?

 **Full Sun:** He has $$$

Jaemin unlocked the door and allowed Yukhei to join them on the rooftop. “What are you doing here?” Mark questioned, a confused expression decorating his face. “Are y’all just going to fight without a proper finale?!” the man replied and moved past the group to turn on the live once more. The speech was already prepared in his mind, so he sat up straight in front of the camera, ready to meet his impatient fans.

“Hello, everyone. I am the MC for today’s event, NCT Dream’s hidden, handsome ace, Lucas!” he began, then clapped his hands in excitement, grinning from ear to ear. “I had a tough time stopping them to make this announcement, but here we are! There is poll on this page and our precious NCTzens have to vote!” Yukhei continued and after a few seconds stared at his watch “In about fifteen minutes, the winner will be decided. If it doesn’t match the person our NCTzens have personally picked, I will give that one a special prize.”.

He lift his arms up, motioning for the boys to get back to filming. As they all walked towards the center, Yukhei took his shirt off (again?!) and waved it around to signal the beginning of the fight. The Dreamies all cheered and jumped on each other unapologetically, throwing kicks and punches, left and right. The WayV member was on the sidelines, shouting and running from corner to corner to properly examine their moves, abs flexing under the dim lighting. They all looked pretty exhausted, but went on and on, until rain began pouring heavily from the skies. The boys paused for a moment, before getting even louder as they clashed.

Yukhei gazed into the camera, eyes sparkling with mischief, and spoke out, in three languages, just to make sure the viewers understood “Everyone, we have a special guest! Rain has joined our Rooftop fight! Don’t forget to vote!”. When he turned around to inspect the situation, he was surprised to see a certain member dominating them all. Jisung was standing on the side, pouting and looking down at his ripped, white shirt. “I surrender.” he said in dismay and ran towards the door, where he could shelter himself from the storm (really, his make-up was beginning to wear off and he just had to hide the fact that this was all a prank – such a thoughtful boy).

Jaemin had pushed Chenle out of the frame, cheering when the boy gave up and went to sit with Jisung. He turned his attention to the rest of the members left in the competition. He saw Jeno struggling to dominate Donghyuck. Even if a bit earlier, he was using all of his might to keep the younger still, in that moment the jacket was over his head, blocking his view. Donghyuck was rotating again and again to make the other dizzy and tire him out. Jaemin jumped on his back, pushing him to the ground aggressively.

“I’ll lift your shirt, if you don’t give up.” the boy threatened, watching as his friend’s expression went grim. He grabbed the hem of his white blouse and attempted to reveal Donghyuck’s tummy. The older panicked, trying to keep Jaemin’s hands from moving, by locking his wrists in a strong hold. Unfortunately, Jeno wasn’t having any of it. He took off his jacket and threw it on the ground angrily, pushing the other off of his target.

After that, he pulled Donghyuck up to stand on his feet and threw a few kicks, before getting him into a headlock. The younger surrendered pretty fast, leaving the screen to join the two maknaes. Jeno and Jaemin were now looking at each other, breathing heavily, since they were quite tired after running around for so long. Apparently, while they were struggling to finish off their evil member, Renjun had managed to beat Mark (somehow – the latter probably abandoned the fight to make his member happy). He walked towards the two boys slowly, hair sticking to his face from the rain.

“What now?” Jeno asked, as they stood in a circle, not knowing how to continue this. Jaemin seemed to be thinking of something, curiosity flickering in his brown eyes. “I can’t do this.” Renjun replied and felt his competiveness dying down, being quite aware of the fact that it was ironic how they were the only ones left. Oh, karma was really a bitch. If he attacked Jeno, it could be considered that he just wanted to release the frustration built up inside of him through the last months. If he jumped on Jaemin, the rest could believe their relationship was still on the fence. What a showdown!

“Five more minutes! The member leading the poll is still in the competition! Is he going to be the winner? Are our NCTzens that good at guessing?” Yukhei commented, running a hand through his wet hair as he stared sensually at the camera. Renjun sighed and got rid of the black blazer. Whatever was going to happen, he’d not be the one to attack first. Jaemin lift up his head (seemingly he was done researching ideas) and opened his mouth to speak “I am giving up. You guys do this. I never wanted it anyway.”.

Jeno looked at Renjun, narrowing his eyes. He was trying to communicate something to his friend (it worked in the past), but the other was not paying any attention to his expressions and intense gaze. Instead, he bit his lip and replied to Jaemin’s statement “No. I will leave… You two just sort it out.”. Hearing that, a deep sigh left Jeno’s lips. Out of nowhere, he jumped on the older, tackling him to the ground.

Renjun yelped and attempted to push the boy off of him, but he was lacking strength. “ _Listen to me, you idiot. Let’s let Jaemin win. No one would expect that._ ” the younger whispered as he pretended to punch his friend in the ribs. Finally getting the message, he also made a show of being hurt and counter-attacking the other. Jaemin just stood there, watching them and not doing anything. He didn’t know if it was ok to interfere in their fight, so he walked towards the camera to do something a little more productive.

“Czennies, are you enjoying this? Wow! 100 million hearts already?! Thank you!” he mused and applauded while he checked the likes and comments. His little break was cut off by a high pitched scream. When he turned around, he saw both Jeno and Renjun laying on their backs, letting the rain wash off their exhaustion. “Yah! What are you doing?!” he shouted and ran to them, nudging the boys with his foot, quite annoyed that they ended it like this.

“You’re the winner, Na Jaemin.” the oldest replied, smiling softly with his eyes closed, lips slightly parted and cheeks flushed. Jeno chuckled and gently pushed out of the way the strands of hair sticking to Renjun’s forehead. All he could think about was how beautiful the other looked in that moment, struggling to catch his break as raindrops poured on him. The white shirt was now almost see-through, stuck to the skin. He shone under the yellow lighting, as the younger’s eyes travelled all over him, taking in the gorgeous view. Damn. Maybe it was love after all.

The Chinese member was surprised by the sudden display of affection, turning his head to look at the one next to him. Jeno’s soft, loving gaze met his own, his hand reaching for the older’s slowly (the moment caught him off guard and all he could feel were the butterflies in his stomach). “Na Jaemin is definitely the winner.” he said and intertwined his fingers with Renjun’s. He moved closer, lips brushing against the boy’s ear as he whispered something, making sure only they could hear it “ _But so am I, Renjun-ah._ ”.

Yukhei interrupted the sweet moment by grabbing Jaemin’s wrist and lifting his arm up in the air. “NCTzens, we have our best Rooftop fighter! 1st place! NA… JAE… MIN!” he shouted, as the rest gathered around them clapping and congratulating the shocked boy. Then, the MC picked up the recording device to check the poll. This was definitely not over just yet. He took his place in the middle of the group and inspected the final results.

“Oh? Oh! This is quite interesting! The winner of the poll, chosen by our beautiful and amazing NCTzens, is…” he began and the boys were imitating drumrolls, feeling quite excited to find out the answer. Chenle leaned towards his best friend, Jisung, and told him something, not even minding that the camera could pick it up “I voted for myself.”.

* * *

The venue was in full chaos, as the last minutes of the Rooftop fight rolled on the big screen. During the ‘commercial’ break, Jungwoo had played ‘Chewing Gum’ and instead of calming down the rest, it actually made them even angrier, especially Kun and Taeyong. That was a reminder of the times when the Dreamies were still treated like the kids they were and they had no choice but to accept it. Right now, it was chaos and the leaders couldn’t think of any possible positive consequences to this whole thing.

The reactions of some of the other members didn’t help at all. Throughout the vlive, Yuta kept cheering as if it was a football game, telling the youngsters who and where to hit. Obviously, the boys couldn’t hear him and the passion he put into every word made it even funnier “Use your right hand, Jeno! Come on! Choke him!”. Taeyong stared at him in disgust and thanked the gods that he was tied up right then, otherwise he’d have one less group member to worry about or raise.

“MARK! DO SOMETHING! DON’T LET RENJUN WIN!” Yuta suddenly shouted, while the latter hit Mark in the stomach with his elbow to free himself, then took advantage of the fact that the boy was struggling to catch his breath. He grabbed the older’s collar and punched him again, pulling him off the screen and securing his win.

On the opposite side of Yuta, Doyoung was red in the face and felt like kicking the one next to him. “Wow! Jaeminnie is doing a lot!” Jaehyun commented, feeling quite proud of his younger friend. “Are you supporting this?!” the older asked incredulously, mouth slightly hanging open. He was annoyed with the fact that Jaehyun was supposed to set a good example for the Dreamies, not join their crazy moments. Same thing applied to their Japanese member. How could it be that only him, Taeyong and Kun seemed to be the sane ones in this group? The rest enjoyed their pain.

Doyoung sighed when all he got as a reply from the younger was a wide grin and a wink. In some other situation, it might have been difficult for him to control his emotions (the butterflies in his stomach and the furious blushing), but right now all of his attention was set on the vlive that had the chance of ruining all that they have built in almost four years (if you didn’t count also their trainee periods).

NCT as a group was closer than expected and worked hard to achieve their dreams, as well as to keep a nice atmosphere within the group. Besides training together, they also had lived in the dorms for a long time, basically growing up with each other and forming a bond similar to those that families share. There were members that didn’t really interact, there were the occasional conflicts, there were times when all they wanted to do was give up and live normal lives, but there were also good moments that proved just how much they cared about their relationship.

This was definitely not one of them. Taeyong was now glaring at the screen, trying his best not to have a mental breakdown. When Yukhei had appeared in the vlive, Kun went wild, jumping up and down and (still) making attempts to release himself from the big chains. “Any kind regards for the Devil? I’LL BE BURNING IN HELL AFTER I FUCKING MURDER THIS GUY!”. he questioned looking at the ones next to him, then suddenly burst, screaming and swearing.

“This is already Hell… What if they make me pay for damages?” the manager slowly let out, sounding defeated and exhausted. “We’ll donate to your cause.” Taeil replied with a serious look on his face. Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows and without giving it a second thought, he let out a plain remark “This is not charity though.”. Right after his words, someone began speaking quite fast in Chinese, combining explanations with swearing, as the clock was ticking on screen “It is fucking charity that I let them stay up for that long. I should’ve sent them to sleep at ten o’clock. They will be the death of me! And Yukhei?! He is banned from our dorms. Let 127 adopt him. THEY ARE BITING THE HANDS THAT FED THEM! LITTLE TRAITORS!”.

The rest just stared at him in surprise, most of them not understanding what he’d just said, but picking up the passion and annoyance in his tone. “I didn’t really get all of that, but I definitely agree. He knows my pain.” Taeyong responded, nodding just to put an emphasis on what he’d just said. Jungwoo snickered and got up to his feet so the others could see him properly. “If you didn’t chase them down the halls like the overprotective parents that you are, we wouldn’t be here right now and we’d be getting the Rooftop fight in 2021.” he commented, crossing his arms over his chest and raising one eyebrow.

“NO! NO! NO! WHY IS HYUCKIE DOMINATING?! HE IS SUPPOSED TO GET HIS ASS KICKED!” Yuta screamed again, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere. If Taeyong’s hands were free, he’d pull out for sure all of his hair in frustration. If Kun’s hands were free, he’d definitely commit murder. If Taeil’s hands were free, they’d probably be all over Sicheng, despite their Japanese member’s protests. It was a matter of personal preference.

Even though some of them were against of what was currently going on, they couldn’t help but cheer when Donghyuck finally got eliminated. “That is the only good part, honestly.” Doyoung said and turned his head to look at the rest who seemed to agree with him. It was a bad idea though. Jaehyun’s eyes met his own and the intensity of that gaze made him uncomfortable. “Are you crazy?” the older questioned and the boy just shrugged. “If they can cross boundaries, should we also do that?” he replied, taking Doyoung by surprise.

“What do you even mean by that?” the other asked once more, but instead of a proper response, Jaehyun revealed his free hands, chains sliding off of him. They fell to the floor with a loud noise, getting the members attention. “You were free this whole time?!” the manager yelled with a furious expression on his face. The younger nodded, then he wrapped his fingers around Doyoung’s hand, not caring what his team might think of it “I just wanted to do this.”. They all gasped, surprised by the sudden interaction and straightforwardness. “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” Taeyong shouted, feeling the anger cursing through his veins.

Taeil blinked a few times, as if to make sure that what he saw was correct, then directed a question at Jungwoo “Did you teach him to be cheesy like that?”. The boy chuckled and stared proudly at his friend “Nah. That’s all Jung Jaehyunnie.”. “How did he get out though?” Sicheng asked out of the blue, then heard someone awkwardly laugh in the corner of the stage. Hendery was scratching the back of his head and tried to avoid any curious looks. “I was never tied up.” Jaehyun replied proudly and winked at his kidnapper “I was… rather convincing. Isn’t that right, pretty boy?”.

“What the fuck, Hendery? And you were blaming us for doing a poor job.” Dejun attacked him and pointed accusingly at the one in front of him. “I just couldn’t. He’s even flirtier than Ten and I didn’t think that was even possible.” Hendery defended himself, sighing deeply as he thought back on how Jaehyun managed to convince him to not put a lock on his chains.

**~ Flashback ~**

“You’re Hendery, right?” the older questioned, relaxing in the said boy’s arms. He just received a gentle nod as an answer and as a probable sign to go on. “Your skin is really soft. What cream are you using?” Jaehyun asked again, rubbing circles on the back of the younger’s hand. “Umm… Uuuuh… I don’t. I always forget to put it on.” Hendery told him and heard the one in his hold gasp out loud. “Then is that wonderful smell your perfume?” the interrogation went on, not giving the poor kid any breaks. “Y-Y-Yeah. I like to apply it also on my wrists.” the WayV member said once more and felt Jaehyun’s fingers wrap around his wrist, in a second breaking the embrace and turning to look at the other.

He brought Hendery’s hand towards his face, lips brushing lightly against the soft skin. “Amazing. It’s making me jealous. You’re not only handsome, but also have good taste.” the older continued, making the one in front of him blush furiously. “I-I-I have t-t-to tie y-y-you up.” the boy stuttered and lift up the chains to show them to Jaehyun. “Ask me on a date first.” he teased, the smile on his face revealing his charming point (best dimples in the whole Kpop industry – if there was an award at MAMA for this, he’d win it for sure).

Hendery froze in his spot, not knowing how to react to the sudden bluntness. “Do you want… to go… on… a date… with me… _hyung_?” he let out slowly, taking a pause in between each word to think it through. Jaehyun chuckled and motioned for the younger to come and do his task. “I would _love_ that, Hendery-ah.” he replied and winked at the boy, before tossing the lock aside.

**~ End of flashback ~**

“Why are you suddenly dragging me into this?” Ten questioned, glaring at the one on the stage. “Come on, babe. Let’s be real here.” Johnny replied and his loving gaze fell on the boy in the chair right next to his own. “BUT Jaehyun did THAT.” the younger shot back, referring to what Hendery had told them just a bit earlier “And he dares to reveal it by getting touchy feely with Doyoungie.”. The manager sighed as he listened to their continuous bickering, wishing he’d signed up for a girl group – maybe they wouldn’t have been as problematic and controversial as these guys. Taeyong and Kun were ignoring the background sounds, choosing to focus on the winner announcement.

**Background sounds:**

“ _So? He’s a whore, but in NCT we don’t judge._ ” – Johnny

“ _Then why is it wrong when I do it?_ ” – Ten

“ _Because… we are officially in a relationship and you go around flirting with Taemin hyung on live TV._ ” – Johnny

“ _That was only ONE time._ ” – Ten

“ _Jaehyunnie, play it smart. It’s not easy going out with two guys at the same time._ ” – Sicheng

“ _Poor Doyoungie. I didn’t know they were dating._ ” – Taeil

“ _WE’RE NOT. HE IS INSANE._ ” – Doyoung

“ _No need to keep lying to our members, babe._ ” – Jaehyun

“ _Wow. Unbelievable._ ” – Doyoung

“ _They’re not dating. Trust me. I know._ ” – Yuta

“ _THANK YOU!_ ” – Doyoung

“ _But they definitely want to fuck each other._ ” – Yuta

“ _Then… what about me?_ ” – Hendery

“ _Get in line._ ” – Ten

“ _It’s a fucking long one._ ” – Johnny

“ _Our Jaehyunnie has a lot of admirers, but I definitely support DoJae!_ ” – Jungwoo

“ _Isn’t it JaeDo? I doubt Doyoung can top that._ ” – Yuta

“ _Savage._ ” – Ten & Johnny

“ _I hate you all._ ” – Doyoung

The manager looked around, after Jaemin’s name was called out, trying to understand the point of their whole conversation. As Yukhei was saying that the winner of the poll will be getting the chance for another round, the man was writing his resignation letter in his head (“ _I’m so done.”_ ).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiiiii, my little sunshines! <3 Did you like this chapter?  
> I know I have included a lot of chatroom/conversations, but I hope you also enjoyed those parts.  
> Did you expect Jaemin to be our winner? Well, this ain't over just yet... ;) 
> 
> Also, for the 'Free Dreamies 2k20' usernames, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send them to me (I was honestly, really uninspired). :3 
> 
> Feedback and happy smiles are appreciated! <3 Have a wonderful day/evening!


	11. The final king of NCT (Dream)!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone thought it was over, but Yukhei's surprise announcement led to even more chaos. Needless to say, that after everything the poor members had to go through, the CEO was not happy and decided to share his thoughts with the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: this contains A LOT of swearing and some violence/mentions of blood.
> 
> Thank you for all the feedback and kudos! <3 We're finally on chapter 11!   
> This is not the end, so hang on tightly to your seats! :3 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and it puts a smile on your face! 
> 
> Also, SM HAS FINALLY POSTED THAT WE ARE GETTING THE ROOFTOP FIGHT 2k21!!! Y'all better be ready ('cause I screamed a little)! <3

The rain was definitely pouring heavier than before. The vlive was not done yet and the fans were certainly enjoying it. The Rooftop Fight was something representative for NCT Dream, something that even people who weren’t part of the fandom would know about. The number of viewers was surprisingly high, as well as the likes for their video. What started off as a joke, became an iconic moment expected to happen in 2021, but them pulling it off even earlier than that, brought in a lot of curious casual watchers and the challenge turned into a sports’ event, the poll votes continuously rising.

When Yukhei said that the winner decided by the fans was Renjun, the rest weren’t even shocked. What was even more disturbing was the fact that now he had to fight Jaemin for real. The two boys just stared at each other as they were left alone on the screen, clothes sticking to their skin, hair pushed back, fists clenched tight. It was quite cold outside, especially from the ongoing storm, but they couldn’t feel it as tension was rising through the air.

“So… it’s finally come down to the two of us.” Jaemin began, smiling sheepishly. He walked slowly towards his friend, words still rolling off of his tongue “I bet you’ve been waiting for this.”. Renjun smirked, jumping into a defensive stance, ready to fight for his life “I’m not going to hold back like before.”. “I hope you go all out. I’m not scared, Renjunnie.” the younger chucked softly, hand reaching for the other’s collar to pull him closer.

The boy grabbed his attacker’s wrist and turned the arm behind his back in a swift movement, pushing the taller to his knees. Instead of allowing him to have his way, Jaemin extended one leg to the left, before sweeping the floor with it in the direction of the Chinese member. It hit the older’s feet, making him lose his balance and fall on his side. “I apologize from now to that pretty face of yours.” the dominating boy said as he climbed on top of his target.

Renjun raised his arms to defend himself as the other kept throwing punches to his head. “Flattery’s not gonna work on me, Na!” he replied sharply and hit the one above him in the stomach, making him crouch in pain. Refusing to back down, Jaemin placed one knee over the other’s pelvic area, keeping him still. His fist made contact with Renjun’s ribs, eliciting from him a loud groan.

“Is it just me or are they doing it for real?” Jisung questioned out loud, forgetting that the whole thing was being filmed. Chenle squinted his eyes, trying to focus on the whole scene. “Seems so… Now I’m jealous.” he commented, crossing his arms over his chest. “What you do to us every day is no different from this. Why are you the one complaining?” the maknae scoffed, glaring back at his best friend. “Shht.” Yukhei scolded them, frowning and going back to his MC persona “I think he’s bleeding!”.

As the rest were busy talking, Jaemin managed to slip one punch towards the older’s face, wounding his lower lip. Renjun gasped and got angry, clenching his abdominal muscles in order to gain traction, before lifting his knee to hit the one on top in the back, with all of his strength. The younger fell to the side, face contorted in pain, as his hand was holding the targeted area. He didn’t have time to recover, the other throwing another punch to his stomach and trying to place him in a headlock. Realizing the danger he was in, Jaemin quickly hit the older with his elbow and scrambled away, making an attempt at rising to his feet.

They were standing face to face again, both breathing heavily. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” Renjun laughed and wiped the blood off his chin with the back of his hand. “You don’t know a lot of things about me, honey.” the younger shot back and spit on the floor all the red liquid that was filling up his mouth. “Just a few minutes ago you were so willing to let the rest of us win. What’s this?” the other asked, making his way towards the target. Jaemin eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t move from his spot “It seems I have to show you who’s the boss or else you’ll misbehave.”.

“Oh-oh! It’s getting intense!” Yukhei screamed and ran to the scene, to be able to witness the fight more closely. “Should we stop them?” Mark questioned out of nowhere, worry clear in his tone. Donghyuck chuckled devilishly, rubbing his palms together in excitement “Nah. This is the best thing that’s happened to Dream ever since debut.”. After a few moments of him silently contemplating something, he suddenly yelled towards the two members “Yah! Renjeon-ah! Czennies voted you out of pity! You can never win over Jaeminnie!”. “Oh, shit.” the leader let out when he noticed how the said member’s expression changed to one of a murderer, when he heard the younger’s words.

“I will fucking end you both! Just wait for your turn, you loser!” Renjun replied and was ready to go towards Donghyuck to prove himself, but Yukhei stopped him. “Hey! Hey! If you go off camera, you’re done.” the MC informed him and all he got from the other was a low growl. Jaemin straight up giggled, finding the smaller boy cuter than ever. He put on his best aegyo face and changed his tone, before teasing Renjun “Honey! Darling! Did you forget about me?”.

Instead of a proper answer, the older pounced on him, throwing the first punch. Yukhei ran around them in circles, saying out loud for the fans every move the two boys executed “Jaeminnie is defending his spot! Look at that strong hit to the side! Renjunnie is not giving up! That high kick could have had some nasty results if Jaemin hadn’t blocked it!”.

* * *

Jaehyun was honestly bored as fuck. Teasing Doyoung was no fun when the other was so focused on the video played on the big screen. The rest had mostly calmed down, except for a few members who were shouting continuously as if the Dreamies could actually hear them. Taeyong looked like he was nearing an actual stroke, especially after Jisung’s line about the two boys fighting for real and Yukhei mentioning they were bleeding. He turned his attention back to the younger, this time looking sternly at him “You’d better release me if you want to still sleep in our building.”.

“Nah. Not my problem.” Jaehyun shrugged and smiled back at his leader. Johnny gasped out loud, before joining in on their conversation “Please, don’t steal my line and drink your milk.”. Right next to them, Kun’s reactions were definitely shocking. He may not have been the most recognized vocalist on their team, but the high notes he was reaching right then were putting even Taeil to shame: “LIU YANG YANG! I WILL SHIP YOU BACK TO FUCKING GERMANY IF YOU DON’T RELEASE ME RIGHT NOW!”, “JAEMIN WON! WHY DO THEY CARE ABOUT FUCKING FANSERVICE?!”, “YUKHEI, PUT YOUR DAMN SHIRT ON! THIS IS NOT A STRIP SHOW!”, “JUNGWOO, KEEP YOUR BOYFRIEND UNDER CONTROL!” etc.

Sicheng was staring in disbelief at the older, his ears attacked by all of the unholy words that left the man’s lips. Ten threw him an understanding look, although most of the time he was just trying to bicker with his boyfriend in one way or another. Jungwoo was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, being quite proud of the whole show and the Dreamies’ acting abilities. When they put the revenge plan together, he knew it was going to be good, but not downright amazing. He had to admit that Yukhei MC-ing the whole thing made it a hundred times better (maybe even a thousand if you also took into consideration how good his abs looked under the heavy pouring rain and dim lighting).

Someone finally had enough. He couldn’t take it any longer, so he eyed the older members carefully, hoping one of them could do something and stop this whole vlive somehow: Taeil was beginning to doze off, head resting on Sicheng’s shoulder, Yuta was trying to keep him awake and away from his crush, Taeyong and Kun were out of question, since their attempts at breaking free were failing, so that left him with two logical choices. “Doyoung-ah, Johnny, I am begging you. I know this might be mildly entertaining to you, but it’s not for me. Please. I don’t care how you do it, but stop them.” the manager requested, not having any energy to lift up his head and look at them.

Johnny sighed deeply, his eyes falling on Jaehyun, more serious than before. “Be a good boy and get me the keys. I’m done playing.” he spoke softly, but the determination in his tone silenced them all. The younger got up from his seat and walked up to Hendery, extending his hand to receive the said item. When the WayV member wanted to comply with what the other wanted, Jungwoo got in between them, arms crossed over his chest. “No. This is almost over. Y’all can handle it five more minutes.” he commented, frowning as his stare was fixated on the ones before him.

On screen, bruises and splatters of blood were decorating the two boys’ faces, but they still weren’t giving up on the fight. Jaemin was currently dominating, as he had managed once again to put his friend down on the ground, in a strong headlock. It seemed like this was going to be the end, Yukhei more than ready to announce the obvious winner. In a matter of seconds, Renjun released himself and punched the younger with all of his might, climbing on top of him to gain his victory, by holding the boy’s wrists over his head.

“Are you giving up?!” the MC shouted, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his surprise. Jaemin looked up at his friend and felt his heart beating faster at the beautiful view: the older’s hair was dripping wet, eyes filled with emotions staring back at him, lips slightly parted as he was struggling to breathe properly again. “No.” the younger replied and released his hands, standing up with Renjun on his lap. He pulled the boy closer, only to whisper something to him “ _If you let me kiss you on vlive, I’m giving you this win._ ”.

The Chinese member was blushing furiously, not sure how he was supposed to respond to that. He didn’t really want a rigged competition this time, especially when they’d been fighting for real all these minutes. It was truly tempting and could be the cherry on top, but there was one more person he had to think about. Jeno was standing nervously behind the camera, watching as his two friends were sitting in a compromising position. He caught for a second Jaemin’s gaze over Renjun’s shoulder and he could instantly tell what this was all about. The boy smirked, before shouting an encouraging message to them “Just do it!”.

The older’s eyes grew wider, as he felt a pair of lips on his own. The kiss was gentle and lasted only a few seconds, before Jaemin fell on his back and admitted defeat to Yukhei, who still hadn’t recovered from shock. When Jeno yelled Renjun’s name to the camera as the final winner to the Rooftop Fight, the MC woke up from his daze and went to make the official announcement. A Dream member ran past him, jumping on the two boys who were in the same position as before. He was laughing happily and embracing both of them lovingly.

Renjun felt tears streaming down his face, so he buried it in Jeno’s chest, wrapping his arms around the other’s slim body. Jaemin was patting him on the head to calm him down, deep inside knowing that this competition was everything they needed to release all of the tension built up through the recent months. “ _I love you._ ” the older blurted out, his words slightly muffled. “Which one?” the youngest teased and Jeno shook his head at him in disapproval. “Both.” Renjun replied, lifting his head to stare at his friends.

“So do we.” the others said together, before more weight joined the pile, Donghyuck, Mark, Chenle and Jisung sitting next to them on the cold floor. “Up till now, this was NCT Dream and the greatest MC in the industry – Lucas!” the man told the camera and moved to stay behind them. “Thank you for staying us! I hope you had the best time!” Donghyuck shouted, waving his hands. Mark smirked and looked at the rest, ready to do the closing as the leader of the group “YO DREAM!”.

* * *

“I cannot believe you would do something like this! Look! It’s 3 am and the news outlets are having a field day with our vlive!” the manager scolded, as the 21 boys were sprawled across the floor of the practice room. Right after the filming had ended, the youngsters went back to the concert hall and released their members one by one, leaving their leaders for last. Luckily, a lot of them were either worried or amused with the whole situation and didn’t attack the Dreamies. Kun and Taeyong on the other hand, had to be held back by Johnny, Yuta, Sicheng and Taeil not to kill the ones in front of them.

The manager didn’t make any sudden moves, but chose to check his phone instead, not being happy at all with the 51 missed calls from the company and 214 messages on his Kakao Talk. He knew he was going to be in big trouble for allowing the whole thing to escalate like this. As he read through the texts his face turned darker and darker, before he finally let it all out. He ordered all the kids to get to the main building of SME, where they were usually practicing. In the middle of the night, the PR team was working overtime to find solutions and the CEO called a meeting with the group to tell them a thing or two.

They were waiting anxiously while listening to the man go on and on about responsibility and public image and how “we don’t do that here”. Johnny, who had a bit more guts than the rest, grinned innocently, before saying two words to his manager “Super Junior”. An intense glare reached him, but the boy didn’t react at all, keeping his cool. Other staff from their team had gathered inside and some had to hold back their laughter, being completely aware of the reasons Johnny had mentioned their sunbae group (*cough* Heechul kissing Sungmin *cough* Heechul kissing Henry *cough* Heechul kissing Siwon *cough* taking their pants off on live TV *cough* cross-dressing at the airport/during concerts *cough*).

“Honestly, the whole thing looks like a low-budget movie. Can’t we use that for the press?” Jungwoo sheepishly asked, shifting all of the attention to him. “Oh-oh-oh, you’re going to the back of the formation, with no lines, for the next 10 comebacks! I should’ve known you can’t be let around our youngsters! Bad influence!” the manager screamed and pointed a finger accusingly at the one sitting on the floor. “If the rest had kept their cool about the concert, we wouldn’t have gotten here in the first place.” Donghyuck scoffed, playing with the laces of his shoes.

The man covered his face with his hand, groaning loudly. “Make him shut up or I will.” he said while scanning the rest with a pitiful gaze. “I don’t think any of us dare to challenge the Dreamies again.” Doyoung stated, a cute pout on his lips. “I do! As long as Yukhei gets locked forever in the company’s basement, away from my innocent kids!” Kun replied, hitting the said boy on the back of his head. “Pffft. Innocent my ass! Who do you think is the evil mastermind of all this?” Yuta told him and smirked at the younger, wiggling his eyebrows.

Donghyuck choked, coughing aggressively, as he tried to hide behind Mark. Jaehyun lifted him by the collar, pushing the boy forward “We all know who’s the Devil in our group.”. “At this point, I honestly doubt it’s only one.” the manager replied absent-mindedly and crossed his arms over his chest, while shifting his gaze from Chenle to Yang Yang to Renjun and finally reaching Donghyuck, who couldn’t hide anymore.

The door opened and the CEO strolled in with the head of the PR department following him close behind. The latter’s expression was grim and he was holding a huge pile of papers over his tablet, that was pinging continuously. The director of the company sat in the middle of the room, facing all the boys, who straightened their backs all of a sudden. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just started?!” the man shouted, hands in the pockets of his pants (he was still wearing a suit, but it was a bit messier than usual).

“Sir, as the leader, I would like to apologize for their behaviour and for everything that we-“ Taeyong began as he rose up from the ground to bow deeply at the ones in front of him, but he was cut off sharply. “It is a fucking disaster! You all thought that Instagram post and mini-live weren’t enough, on top of that you had to fight and show Jisung on screen after 10 pm, as well as fully make-out! What the hell was going through those pretty minds of yours?!” the elder screamed once more, making them all freeze in their spots. The maknae was quietly sobbing, hiding in Johnny’s arms, while the rest of the Dreamies tried to comfort each other (more like still tend to their obvious wounds – especially Jaemin and Renjun who had gotten the worst of it).

The CEO was pacing around, seemingly deep in thought. The boys were nervously waiting for their punishments, expecting something rather extreme. “Sir, the response from their fans was absolutely fantastic and the fandom numbers are rising, as well as the sales for the NCT Dream albums. But I’m not sure how the general public will react…” the PR director commented and checked once more the data on his tablet, which was being constantly updated by his team and the related departments. The man wasn’t saying anything, even though he had stopped on his tracks to face the group.

“The older members, what course of action do you think we should take regarding all of this?” he asked out of the blue, motioning for the said boys to stand in a straight line in the middle of the room – and Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Ten and Jaehyun complied. The leader spoke up, bowing respectfully to the CEO “Please, let me carry the burden and let the others go. I will accept whatever you see fit.”.

The director got closer to him and pat his back, as he smiled fondly at the boy “I appreciate the concern, but this is a problem that you cannot fix on your own.”. After saying those words, he moved to each member, giving out instructions carefully “Taeil-ah, you’re going to clean every practice room on this floor for two weeks. Johnny, I want you to pick up at least 5 volunteering projects and tend to them for a month. Yuta, you’re going to help the trainees with their Japanese skills, until they can properly carry out the introductions. Ten, you’re joining Law of the Jungle – make sure you get your bug spray with you – they’re doing Amazon this season. Doyoungie…”.

Near the end of his speech, he took a break, grasping the said boy’s shoulder tightly. He grinned from ear to ear, before informing him of his task “Doyoungie, Doyoungie, I want you to carry out 14 missions that Donghyuck gets to choose for you.”. Hearing that, the poor victim fell to his knees, rubbing his palms together and shamelessly begging “Please! Have mercy! I will do all the other things you’ve given the rest, but not this! That kid was the one who planned this whole evening!”.

The CEO lift his head and glared at Donghyuck, who was laughing nervously and scratching the back of his head. “Exactly. He has to learn that his actions have consequences and that his members have to bear them all.” the man stated, then moved back to the only ones who were left without punishments. “Kun, I hear you’ve fought bravely, but still faced defeat. In order to cleanse your fans’ minds of this unfortunate event, you will do the cute boyfriend concept for 10 vlives. Can’t wait to see what aegyo moves you’ve got up your sleeve!” the director commented and winked at the terrified younger man.

“Jaehyun-ah, you were the worst of the worst. You managed to trick poor Hendery into not placing a lock on your chains, then proceeded to watch the chaos unravel?” the CEO questioned, patting the said one on the back. The boy’s expression didn’t change at all, the others realizing only then how fearless he really was “With all due respect, SME is one of the top companies. Debut a new group or have a much-expected comeback and all these issues can be swept under the rug.”. Hearing those words, the man’s eyes went wider, before a grin spread across his face. “With all due respect, Mr. Jung, you’re free to go.” he began, then turned back to Jaehyun to say one more thing “Oh, and please pick someone else to receive your punishment.”.

The younger scanned the room carefully, smirking when his gaze landed on the target of his long-awaited revenge “Chenle.”. The said member yelped in surprise, but still got up and moved to the front. “Ok. You will be informed before-hand of all the details of your next comeback. One spoiler and you’re kicked off the team.” the director instructed, watching the shock plastered across the boy’s face. “Please! I will accept 20 missions given out by Donghyuck hyung, just not that! I am begging you!” Chenle insisted and the rest had to hold back their laughter, Donghyuck even cheering in agreement.

“Shht. Taeyong-ah, your job is to supervise them all as they carry out their tasks, as well as giving punishments to the rest of the boys however you see fit. My responsibility is taking care of the eldest members and leaders, your responsibility is the discipline of NCT as a whole.” the CEO finally spoke his final words, before leaving the room together with the rest of the staff and the PR director. Their manager shook his head in disappointment, then followed the others out the door, set on asking for forgiveness and beg for his job.

Taeyong began laughing malefically, before turning to face his members. “And it all came down to my decisions, you little shits! Let’s see if you can handle it, ‘cause this is going to be a wild ride!” the leader informed them and watched the Dreamies squirm under his scrutinizing gaze. “I will delegate the right of giving out punishments to WayV to Kunnie. I’m sure he knows what to do with that.” he continued, wrapping an arm around Kun’s shoulders.

“We’re fucked.” Yang Yang commented, burying his face in the crook of Dejun’s neck. “I’m joining Red Velvet.” Yukhei stated, fear obvious on his handsome features, before he began singing “Oh my God! He’s a really bad boy, he’s a really, really, really, really, really bad boy~!”. “I’m praying for you, babe.” Jungwoo replied, pitying his boyfriend.

Doyoung eyed Donghyuck suspiciously and expected some kind of witty remarks from the other, but they never came. Although he was worried about the missions the younger could have him carry out, there was something else bothering him even more. “Jaemin kissed Renjun. WHAT THE FUCK WERE THE TWO OF YOU DOING?!” he suddenly shouted, taking everyone by surprise. The said boys were blushing furiously, but didn’t have the guts to reply to their hyung.

“You see, Jaeminnie hit Renjunnie too hard, so he had to perform CPR on the spot.” Jeno told him, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. The rest broke into laughter, all the tension beginning to dissipate. They were exhausted, since it was almost 4 am and a lot had gone down that night, but they still had enough energy to hug each other and joke around, now that the chaos was (sort of) over.

Out of the blue, a loud ping interrupted their happiness. The member pulled the phone out of his back pocket and dramatically threw himself on the ground after reading the message:

 **From Devil’s Spawn:** Hyung~~~ Missed me? :3

 **From Devil’s Spawn:** 1st mission for Doyoungie – if kisses scare you so much when others do it, please face your fear and make-out with your crush, Jaehyunnie hyung.

Taeyong, who was rather fast with his movements, stole the device from his best friend and read the words out loud, realizing only after how severe the contents were. “ROT IN HELL! I AM NOT DOING IT! HE IS NOT MY FUCKING CRUSH!” Doyoung screamed getting off the floor and storming outside of the practice room, in his haste, not realizing that someone had followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooooo, everyone~! <3 Did you like this chapter?  
> I know it's not that long, but I didn't want to drag it more than necessary and change the focus a bit in the following chaps. 
> 
> Renjunnie is our winner!!! I just couldn't let him go like that. :3 This boy worked his ass off for the Rooftop Fight and deserves the 1st spot!!!
> 
> Have a wonderful day/evening! Feedback is appreciated! <3 Sending lots of hugs your way!


	12. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyoung take on his role as a leader and friend, in order to find one missing NCT member. Everyone is in complete chaos as they have to carry out their tasks (especially Doyoung). Donghyuck might just be the worst maknae ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: this contains A LOT of swearing and some violence/mentions of blood.
> 
> Hello, hello, hello, everyone! Thank you for the kudos and feedback! <3   
> I am back with another chapter and it focuses mainly on NCT 127, with some 'cameos' from WayV.   
> I hope you enjoy also this one (and my failed crack lmao).   
> NCT Dream will be back in action in the last chapter, so please tune in for that one too!

He felt like he was going crazy. The white walls around him just kept going on and on, with no person in sight. At this hour, the company was usually pretty busy, with trainees roaming down the halls and executives making their way to the afternoon meetings. This time, there was absolutely no one. Empty. How the hell was that even possible? It wasn’t Sunday.

Ignoring the bugging sensation in the back of his head, he went on with his task, searching for the missing member. As he passed by a practice room, he heard someone singing with a lot of passion. When he cracked the door open and took a peek inside, he saw Taeil scrubbing the floors, with “ _What a wonderful world_ ” playing in the background, his vocals on top of the actual track. “Hyung? Are you doing ok?” the boy asked sheepishly, choosing not to wait for an answer when the older glared at him with intense power.

He skipped through the halls again, checking his phone, just in case the rest had any info on his target. Nothing. Seemingly, this was one extremely rare moment when the group was completely quiet on social media. Couldn’t have picked a better time… “Where the fuck is he?” he muttered under his breath, closing the Kakao Talk app. Being distracted, he bumped into someone and lost his balance, falling on his ass.

“Why are you swearing all of a sudden? Aish.” Ten questioned, scratching his arms in annoyance, before helping his friend get off the floor. He had just come back from Amazon and apparently the weather there was terrible, but the bug bites were even worse than that. The boy had told stories to the others, but it was a bit hard to believe any words from him, especially when he stated he sat face to face with a 20 feet long Anaconda.

“I’m just looking for Doyoung. Have you seen him?” he questioned, sighing deeply and trying to catch his friend’s lost gaze. “Nah. Is it serious? I heard he’s been missing since two days ago.” Ten replied and pat the older on the shoulder to comfort him. “He’s been out of it with all the missions from Donghyuck and avoiding Jaehyun at the same time.” Taeyong told him, looking at his phone once more – Doyoung was lastly seen online the day before, apparently refusing to respond to any texts or calls from anyone within NCT.

Ten shook his head and eyed the leader worriedly “Damn. That bad?”. The other nodded absent-mindedly and showed the Thai boy a picture on his phone of their member scrubbing the toilet with a toothbrush “This was posted on our Instagram with the comment – _Husband material_. What do you think?”. “That y’all gotta make sure Donghyuckie doesn’t end up murdered in a ditch.” Ten laughed, before going back to join the rest of WayV for their practice session.

Taeyong kept searching the building, but no sign of the poor victim. Instead, he ran into Yuta, who was unfortunately running on his third coffee that day. It was a bit difficult to keep under control eleven trainees who were all younger than him. The age difference, shockingly, didn’t seem to bother them too much and they mostly joked around during the free Japanese lessons, considering this a break from their exhausting dance and vocal trainings.

“I swear, I’d give anything just to be able to hit them once. Some of these kids are bigger brats than our Dreamies.” Yuta commented and rolled his eyes, gaining a sympathetic look from his leader. “Sometimes, I don’t know how you do it. I feel like screaming until my lungs dry out.” he continued, wrapping an arm around his friend’s tense shoulders. “Hmm. Fear is not the way, but I guess that’s the only thing that’ll work for you right now.” Taeyong replied and relaxed in the comfortable, warm embrace. “How can I be so intimidating to Dejunnie and Hendery, but these boys don’t even react?” the Japanese man questioned once more, staring at the older’s thoughtful expression. “Cultural differences.” the latter began, before shifting his focus back on his main worries “Have you seen Doyoungie?”.

Yuta couldn’t help him with an answer to that, so he just scrambled off to the classroom, pure determination lighting up his features. As the leader tried calling his best friend again, shouting could be heard in the background. Turning to go on his way, he almost knocked heads with a crying smaller boy running down the hall towards the bathroom. He sighed and sent a message to the young tutor – “ _A bit harsh, don’t you think?_ ”. “ _Not my fault they’re so sensitive now. BRB. Senpai back in action._ ” came the reply and somehow that put a smile on his face.

His feet were getting tired, but he was so worried he kept going. He liked to think his relationship with Doyoung was on another level compared to what he had with the rest, so deep down he was also a bit mad and felt sidelined as the other wasn’t responding to him. They told each other almost everything, the support and care was a little over the normal standard, they kept nagging only because they wanted the best for their own future and their best friend’s. This was absolutely frustrating.

“Hi, Johnny. Where are you right now?” Taeyong spoke softly on the phone, sitting down on a couch in some empty meeting room. “Ugh, at the daycare, still volunteering.” the voice on the line replied, low and raspy. “Why the hell do you sound like that?” the leader asked worriedly and crossed his legs as he leaned back against the soft cushions, finally getting a moment to rest. “Apparently, being a singer means you can perform Baby Shark… all day long.” Johnny answered and the annoyance was clear in his tone.

Taeyong held back his laughter, trying not to upset his friend even more. “I think I can be a father now. I’ve changed so many diapers that I’ve become an expert. Why do children poop so much anyway?” the older continued, clacking his tongue. “Eeeh, I guess we can call you… _daddy_ now?” the boy teased and heard a menacing growl on the other side right after. “Why did you call me anyway? Did you carry out all the punishments?” Johnny questioned, choosing to change the subject and not linger any longer on the unfortunate events in his own life.

“Aaah, no. The Dreamies are in hiding and it seems that’s just what our Doyoungie is also doing. Have you seen him?” the leader responded and kicked himself mentally for completely forgetting about the youngsters. “No. Jaehyunnie’s really done a number on him, hasn’t he?” the man chuckled as someone began crying next to him. “More like Hyuck. Monster child is going all out.” Taeyong said and the line got cut off without any answer. He sighed thinking for a bit that maybe, _just maybe_ , Johnny had it worse.

* * *

Ten strolled casually into the practice room, finding his members sprawled comfortably across the floor. Kun had a dark expression on his face as he stared at his phone, hair totally disheveled and his clothes a complete mess. “Hey, guys. I’m back.” the Thai boy told them, sitting next to his leader in an attempt to comfort him. “Back from the jungle or 127’s dorm?” the maknae asked and smirked, mischief filling up his brown eyes. “Hahah. I had to spend some time with my boyfriend. I’m sure you can understand what I mean, baby.” the older replied, throwing the boy a dirty look.

Yang Yang seemed deep in thought for a moment, then burst into laughter, clapping his hands in excitement “So… that Anaconda you’ve come face to face with was Johnny hyung’s?”. “I swear to God I’ll kill the one who showed you the Amajohn video and then come for your head.” Ten said, with a sharp tone, and noticed Dejun hiding behind their youngest member, while Hendery was cracking up and rolling on the ground. He had the worst fate being in the unit where most of the members understood the jokes in all languages, especially from the memes sent by fans.

“Anyway, have any of you seen Doyoung? Taeyong was wandering the hallways worried sick.” he continued, hitting Yang Yang with his foot to stop him from making faces at him. “DOYOUNG? DID ANYONE SAY DOYOUNG?” Yukhei suddenly shouted and startled his friends. Ten nodded, looking up at the younger with a dumbfounded expression on his features. “PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. SEND HIM BACK! I LOVE HIS COOKING, BUT HE WASHED OUR SHEETS THREE TIMES IN TWO DAYS!” the boy kept screaming, his eyes wide and hands pulling at his hair in frustration.

“I agree. He made me clean my room and reorganize my closet and… KUN-GE LET HIM!” the maknae also commented and pointed a finger accusingly at their poor leader, who wasn’t reacting at all to their bickering. “Woah. Then why do you look like you’ve just come back from war?” Ten asked his friend carefully, wrapping an arm around his slumped shoulders. Kun looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and pursed lips. “Aegyo… for a whole hour. I’m dead… inside. I had to let them… call me the mom of the group.” he replied and sighed deeply, burying his face in his trembling hands, trying to erase the horrors he’d been through.

The Thai member shuddered at the thought, then turned back to speak to Yukhei and Yang Yang, who were still listing reasons to get Doyoung kicked out – “He said we should eat healthier food and we couldn’t order fried chicken.”, “He forced me to shower every night before bed.”, “He banned any NCT 127 and NCT Dream related content from our dorms.”, “He didn’t let me meet with Chenle and Renjun.”, “He asked me to kick Jungwoo out, before he saw him.”, “He slept on your bed.”.

Hearing that last phrase, Ten’s face flushed completely red and he jumped to his feet, the rest shutting up for a few moments. He pulled his phone out and instantly called Taeyong, his quick reactions making the rest burst into laughter – “COME AND COLLECT YOUR CHILD!”.

* * *

Doyoung kept scrubbing and scrubbing the walls of the bathroom, loud music playing in the background – only girl group songs. “I _fucking_ hate it. Why did it have to be me?” he muttered under his breath and turned on the shower to soak off the foam. The washing machine was trembling from the fast rotations, as the sheets were being cleaned for the nth time in the past days. He felt like he needed a break from everything – from his dorm, from his friends, from his whole life and cleaning helped him get his mind off of things or at least sort them out.

Almost a month had passed ever since the whole incident with the Dreamies and it had been an absolutely terrible period for him. That fateful night may have ended nicely for the rest, but he had to face something that he was still running from or more like… _someone_. He closed his eyes as he remembered leaving the practice room in a rush and heading towards the terrace. He was just thinking of ways to ignore Donghyuck’s hellish words – “ _make out with your crush_ ”.

For quite a while his resolutions had been shattering, slowly changing from _I only see him as a friend_ to _Maybe I like him_ to _This can’t be happening to me_ , so he wasn’t ready to admit any of his feelings, especially when the younger was a total flirt, loved fooling around and didn’t seem like he had any interest in anyone in particular. The cold air was filling up his nostrils as he breathed in, trying to calm himself down. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still covered by clouds, blocking all the stars.

He heard the door creak behind him, but refused to turn around. A warm hand was placed on his hip as someone’s body stuck to his own. He shivered a little from the sudden contact, but still didn’t move or talk, even when that person pulled him closer. Doyoung was frozen in his spot, licking his dry lips when he felt the guy’s warm breath on the back of his neck. “Do you hate it that much?” Jaehyun asked, voice low and raspy and they both knew what this was about.

“It won’t do us any good.” he replied and sighed deeply, wrapping his fingers around the other’s hand. “So you’re not denying it?” the younger questioned once more, leaning his head against the boy’s. “There’s nothing to say. Whatever I’m feeling, _it will pass_.” Doyoung told him and hated how his voice trembled a little at the end. “What if it doesn’t?” his friend continued, making a failed attempt at turning him around, to face each other.

The older chewed on his lower lip nervously, thinking hardly on how to answer to that question. “Then I’ll just have to live with it.” he replied and started walking towards the door, avoiding Jaehyun’s eyes and feeling a certain emptiness away from his embrace. The said boy grabbed his wrist and stopped him, pulling Doyoung into his chest. “That’s not fair for either of us. Just do the mission.” he spoke softly, fingers threading through the other’s pinkish hair to help his tense body relax. Unfortunately, that wasn’t working at all. 

Before he could continue his walk down the memory lane, he heard the doorbell ring and dropped his sponge to check who it was. He sat anxiously in front of the entrance, wondering whether he should open up or not. It could be anyone, from his tormentor to the one he’d been avoiding in these few weeks that had gone by. He turned the knob and came face to face with a very angry Taeyong. One shoe flew right above his head, the other hitting him in the stomach “God damn it! Do I have to chase you down till the end of the world?!”.

Doyoung laughed, feeling all of his worries die down a little and the tension in his shoulders dissipate. “I’m glad it’s you who found me.” he told his best friend as he freed the way for him to enter the apartment. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know? What’s with your phone?” the leader questioned and suddenly jumped on the other to place him into a headlock. “I shut it off. Hyuck sent me another mission and…” he began, then suddenly stopped, biting his lip.

Taeyong tightened his hold, forcing him to continue “Jaehyun kept sending me texts.”. A loud gasp escaped the older’s mouth and he instantly let go of his member, sitting in front of him “Are you seriously not telling me what happened in between the two of you?”. Doyoung nodded, feeling like there was not enough energy left in him to answer that. “You cannot do this. You’re smart and strong and use a direct approach in solving your problems. What the hell?!” the boy went on and expected some kind of reaction from the other, but he was completely silent.

Doyoung turned around to gather his things. His leader’s presence at the WayV’s dorm clearly meant he couldn’t stay there anymore and had to go back home. For a moment, he considered moving to Dream’s place for another few days, but his best friend would probably throw another fit. A hotel was out of question, since the security wouldn’t be able to keep all the fans away and word would get out that something’s wrong with their team. He didn’t want to worry his parents or brother unnecessarily, so he couldn’t ask for their help either.

“If you don’t want to talk it out with him, at least let me know what’s happening. I’m here for you.” Taeyong said and placed a hand on his back. “He kissed me, okay? He wanted me to do the mission.” Doyoung snapped, dropping his clothes and turning to look at his best friend, shaking. “And that’s a problem?! When did you…?” the other began carefully and rubbed two fingers against his own lips to make a point, cheeks slightly flushed pink.

“That night. He followed me, we talked and he hugged me. I got lost in the moment and when I lift up my head to look at him, he just leaned in and kissed me.” Doyoung admitted and threw himself on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. “So… He likes you _back_.” the leader stated, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, probably. It didn’t last very long anyway, so I can’t tell.” the younger continued and inspected his friend’s shocked expression.

Taeyong took the seat next to him, staring at his hands in disbelief. “Last time I remembered, you weren’t this dumb.” he commented plainly and felt the sudden urge to smack some sense into Doyoung. “In this past year, he’s been flirting with me continuously, but I believe he acts that way around others too, so I’m not that special.” the younger said, choosing his words carefully and not realizing the tension rising inside the room.

“Are you being jealous right now?” Taeyong laughed and stared at the boy in disbelief. “I AM NOT. HOW CAN I BE WHEN WE’RE NOT EVEN DATING?!” Doyoung exploded out of the blue, sitting up straight and throwing his hands in the air. His reaction only made his friend crack up even more, holding his stomach. “You DEFINITELY have a thing for him.” Taeyong began, then turned all serious before saying more “Go for it. Can’t make it worse than it already is.”.

Doyoung pulled the zipper on his bag, after he shoved all of his clothes inside, and sighed deeply. “I hate it when you’re right.” he replied and left the room, Taeyoung smiling smugly close behind him.

* * *

“Aish. What are you doing?! Play it right, play it right!” he complained as the boy next to him strung again the chords of his guitar. Donghyuck started singing “ _First Snow_ ”, fluttering his eyes shut and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. The older was looking at him in awe and lost in the moment as he was, he made another mistake and right after, his best friend got up from his bed in annoyance. “Yah! What is wrong with you?” came the attack and it was something Mark completely expected from him. “Are we really practicing this when Doyoung hyung is missing? Aren’t you even in the least bit worried?” he questioned, placing his instrument on the side.

Donghyuck crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the one in front of him. “Why are you making it sound like it is my fault?” he replied and the other let out a long sigh, both of them being aware of the fact that partly all of this was happening because of him. “Should I remind you of the cruel missions you’ve given to him?” Mark asked, raising an eyebrow and narrowing his eyes. “It wasn’t _that_ bad.” the younger told him and sat down once more, a smirk growing on his lips as he recounted the devious ideas he put into action:

**Mission one:** Make out with your crush – Jaehyun.

That didn’t turn out so well. Doyoung ran for his life and never looked back, not even bothering to carry out the said task. He had to admit he got a bit mad when the older refused to comply to his words, but there was still time and he was pretty positive this was something inevitable. It wasn’t only Donghyuck that had noticed the way the two acted around each other, especially how flustered Doyoung got each moment that Jaehyun invaded his personal space. At some point, it even became unbearable to watch their little games. This mission was supposed to put an end to all of that chaos – the boy thought of it as just a little push for them to gain the necessary courage. Unfortunately, the task was ignored, much to the maknae’s disappointment, but he wasn’t going to stop there, having his mind set on messing with both of them.

**Mission two:** Make all of Johnny’s clothes pink.

This one was pretty tough and scared even Donghyuck for a bit, but considering the relationship he had with Johnny, it was easy for him to get away with it. Doyoung told them he was going to clean the dorm, do the dishes and offered to also wash all of their clothes. “Accidentally” one pink shirt landed in the machine together with their member’s white jeans and blouses. When Johnny saw a quarter of his wardrobe hanging on the balcony, looking like it was cut out of a Barbie movie, all he could do was sit in the middle of the room, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. In a split of a second, Donghyuck pulled out his phone to record the whole thing: Johnny started screaming and swearing in both English and Korean, asking Doyoung to face him if he had the guts. Their manager tried to calm him down, but that didn’t work at all, as fighting ensued in the dorm, one boy searching for places to hide, while the other was sharpening the knives. Donghyuck was laughing loudly in the background, almost feeling a little bit of pity for their leader who was stuck with the task of cutting the tension that was rising up through the air.

**Mission three:** Replace the alcohol on the 10th floor with water and soda.

One fateful night, the members decided to gather in one of the dorms to have some fun, drinking and playing games. Yuta had just replaced their stock of vodka, wine and soju, being quite excited to show them the quality items he’d bought. He came into the living room, carrying at least three bottles in his arms and placing them carefully on the table. Doyoung had an uneasy expression on his face, glancing at Donghyuck from time to time. Taeyong could read his mood immediately and started worrying as he remembered their stupid game of carrying out missions. The glasses were getting filled with liquid and Jungwoo was the one to down the first shot. His eyes grew bigger, then he furrowed his eyebrows as he stared intensely at their Japanese friend. “Yah! Are you trying to make a fool out of us? This is water.” he inquired and everyone went silent. Yuta tasted the contents of his bottles, then turned to glare at the rest intensely “I spent at least 500 dollars on these! Why isn’t there any alcohol?!”. “Eh, who knows? Maybe they delivered the wrong things.” Donghyuck grinned and drank one glass, acting as if it was the strongest beverage he’d ever had. Johnny shifted his attention to Doyoung who was keeping quiet and tried to act as normal as possible “Where is it?”. The younger scratched the back of his head and picked up a pillow to defend himself, expecting the worst reactions after his reply “Down the drain.”.

**Mission 4:** Replace Jaehyun’s foundation with peanut butter.

To be honest, this was a harsh one. The boy was very careful with the items he used on his skin and spent a lot of money to have only the highest quality make-up. Donghyuck thought twice before sending the text, but his excitement got the best of him. If they didn’t want to kiss, the least they could do was provide some other kind of entertainment. Doyoung snuck on the 10th floor when Jaehyun was busy filming for some TV show and swapped out the contents of his foundation bottle with the insides of a peanut butter jar. The next morning, a loud scream seemed to be more effective than coffee. Yuta and Jungwoo ran to the bathroom to see what happened and the view before their eyes took them completely by surprise. Jaehyun was standing in front of the mirror, hands and face sticky and the look in his eyes said he was ready to commit murder. Coincidentally, Donghyuck came to grab something from the 10th floor, but he seemed more interested in filming the whole scene. “WHO THE FUCK MESSED WITH MY MAKE-UP?!” Jaehyun shouted again, stomping out of the bathroom. Jungwoo leaned in, finger brushing against the older’s skin to pick up some of the “foundation”. He smelled it, then tasted it “Mhmm, you’re taking literally the idea of _looking like a snack_.”. “WHO WAS IT?!” the angry boy asked in annoyance, slightly grabbing his friend’s collar as he ignored his remark. “Ask your boyfriend.” Donghyuck stated plainly and shut off the camera, turning on his heels and leaving, before Jaehyun kicked him.

**Mission 5:** Steal the company credit card and pay for the food.

Their manager was sleeping soundly when Doyoung snuck into the room and took his wallet. Usually, the cards given out by the company were for the normal expenses related to their dorms and travels: utilities, rent, gas, hotel fees and so on. These only stayed with their staff, who were considered the ones responsible with those kinds of payments. The kids had nothing to do with it… until now. The boy ran out and back to his members, who were all dressed up and ready to go. They picked the most expensive restaurant in their area and ordered almost everything on the menu, eating and drinking until they couldn’t move anymore. Taeyong was the one who kept telling them not to go overboard, meanwhile Donghyuck was only suggesting they’d get dessert and try karaoke. A few moments after Doyoung had paid the bill, their leader’s phone started ringing aggressively. Someone was clearly not happy and was ready to give them an earful when they got back to the dorms. The boy sighed and stared at his maknae “How come Doyoung is the one who has to do the mission, but I’m also suffering the consequences?”. “Tough life, Taeyoungie hyung. Tough life.” Donghyuck told him and shrugged, hiding behind Mark to avoid the incoming kick from the one he’d just teased.

**Mission 6:** Steal Jungwoo’s phone and fake a proposal to Yukhei.

This task required quite a bit of creativity from Doyoung. He had to move fast and get the device while the younger was making himself busy in the kitchen. The boy had prepared some messages that were both romantic and cringey, ready to send them all to the member in question. Donghyuck was standing next to him on the couch expectantly. “ _I can’t bear hiding our relationship from the world, when you mean everything to me. I am going public tomorrow to show all the people who are willing to listen how much I love you. My heart is fluttering with excitement. <333 Let’s make all the days we spend together from now on even more meaningful._” the older wrote and pressed send, letting out a sound of despair. For almost half an hour, there was no response, then the doorbell rang several times. Jungwoo opened the door, staring in surprise at the one in front of him. Yukhei paid him no attention as he stormed into the dorm looking for a certain someone. “Give me the phone.” he said seriously as he sat in the living room with Doyoung and Donghyuck. “Aaah, how could you tell?” the maknae complained and ruffled his hair in frustration. “First of all, my babe uses different emoticons. Second of all, he swore he’d let me do the proposal when the time is right.” Yukhei said, grinning and pulling Jungwoo in for a chaste kiss.

**Mission 7:** Flirt with Taeil in front of Sicheng and Yuta.

“Aaah, hyuuung. You need to feed me first.” Doyoung pouted and tugged on the sleeve of his friend’s shirt. Taeil stared at him in disbelief and shared another bite with Sicheng. “Why aren’t you paying any attention to me? I thought you loved me.” the younger said once more, crossing his arms over his chest. Donghyuck was cackling in a corner, not caring that his bowl of noodles was going cold. “What’s gotten into you? Did you hit your head?” Taeil finally asked, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t. When I fell, you caught me in your arms. Remember?” Doyoung teased and smiled cutely at the one in front of him, not knowing that there was more than one pair of eyes set on them. Yuta was stuck to Sicheng’s side, staring suspiciously at the two. “Aish. Shut up! I’m trying to eat here.” the eldest replied and made an attempt at pushing his friend off of him. Doyoung wasn’t having any of it, tightening the hold he had on the other’s arm. “This colour suits you well. Of course, you’re handsome so you look good in anything.” he shot back and before Taeil could answer, Jaehyun slammed his chopsticks on the table, surprising everyone in the room (except for Donghyuck, who expected this to happen). “Take your sleazy attitude elsewhere. Some people actually want to enjoy their food.” he growled, glaring intensely at Doyoung, who let go immediately of their oldest member. The maknae smirked, feeling the pride rise up inside of him along with the jealousy in between his two friends. His ideas were starting to work.

**Mission 8:** Make a blanket out of all the socks in the dorms.

Johnny woke up, ready to start his day with a smile on his face. He took a long, warm shower, then applied his skincare products, going to his wardrobe to choose some clothes (that were not pink). The man picked a nice, black shirt and a hoodie that reached the middle of his thighs, along with a pair of blue jeans. He opened the drawer to put some socks on, but to his shock it was completely empty. He stormed into the living room, not being able to get rid of the frown on his face. Doyoung was sitting on the floor, cursing and tying some pieces of cloth together “Fuck. I must have committed a lot of crimes in my past life to deserve this. That child was shaped by the Devil.”. “What’s going on?” Johnny asked and sat next to him, stealing a pair of socks randomly, not caring if it belonged to him or not, and putting them on. “Donghyuck is giving me the stupidest missions. He’s the one who wrecked havoc and I’m the one suffering for no reason whatsoever.” Doyoung replied and stared with a pitiful look at the one next to him. The older pat him on the back, all of his anger suddenly dissipating “You’re almost done. This one wasn’t that bad. You can do it!”. “YAH! WHO STOLE ALL THE SOCKS ON THE 10th FLOOR?!” Yuta shouted and slammed the door behind him. When he reached his other two friends, he processed for a second what was happening, then burst into laughter “I hope there aren’t any dirty pairs among those.”.

**Mission 9:** Scrub the toilets with a toothbrush and post it on Instagram.

Doyoung read the message and the expression on his face instantly changed to one of complete horror. He didn’t have any issue with the mission itself, as long as they kept it within their group, but posting it on social media, for everyone to see was already on another level of shame. Donghyuck was following him through the dorm, waiting for the older to go to the bathroom and start working on that certain embarrassing task. Doyoung glanced over his shoulder, before smirking to himself and picking up the other’s toothbrush, scrubbing diligently the toilet in front of him. “You think I’m just gonna go down without a fight? This kid.” he muttered under his breath and dipped the item in the dirty water. Donghyuck was too busy taking pictures and laughing happily to notice what the boy was actually holding. He posted one image on Instagram, writing in the description box “ _Husband material._ ”. As soon as the comments started rolling, one after another, he read them with a smile on his face. His expression went sour when he stumbled across a message that made him realize what was actually happening – “Wasn’t Donghyuck’s toothbrush purple? Omg. Doyoung is so savage.”. When he lift his head to look at his friend, Doyoung was grinning innocently, swinging the said item around “Be thankful I am not putting it back to its’ original place.”. Karma.

**Mission 10:** Bring back the Regular challenge.

The caffe inside the company was pretty empty, with only a few of their colleagues gathered around for a relaxing afternoon. They had taken a small break from their practice to drink something and cool off, while they waited for their food to be delivered. Donghyuck passed the money to his older member, asking him to order the drinks one by one, instead of all at once. “You know what you have to do, right?” he asked, smirking and enjoying Doyoung’s unsatisfied expression. The rest didn’t know what the mission was this time, but by the looks of it, it wasn’t anything normal for sure. The maknae pulled out his phone, enjoying the show, as the boy went to the cashier and requested the products his friends wanted to savour. “What size?” the girl questioned, watching him expectantly. Doyoung cleared his throat, threw a glance over his shoulder at Donghyuck who motioned for him to go on. “Regular, huh?” he answered, doing the exact same movements as in the original choreo. Johnny and Yuta burst out laughing, the only ones actually pittying the other being Taeyong and Mark. Jungwoo smirked and shouted towards the one buying the drinks “Hyung, I’ve changed my mind. I also want to get a latte macchiato and a bubble tea.”. The youngest laughed even louder, almost falling off of his chair. Doyoung’s expression went sour, but someone came to stand next to him, asking for items that Jungwoo wanted and doing the challenge together with the older. “Aish. Jaehyun-ah, you just had to ruin the fun, didn’t you?” Johnny inquired, rolling his eyes and picking up his coffee from the counter. “ _Thank you._ ” Doyoung whispered to the one next to him. A sweet smile appeared on Jaehyun’s face as he grabbed the tray with the cups to go back to their table “Anytime, babe.”.

**Mission 11:** Voice crack during performance.

“Even if I want to, I can’t just do that!” the boy shouted, waving his hands around in frustration as they were getting ready to perform. “You can. No, you must. It’s a mission, hyung.” Donghyuck replied and shook his head in disagreement. Taeyong was sitting in between them, feeling sorry for his best friend. This was a direct attack towards Doyoung’s pride as a main vocalist, as a singer. Sure, they’d done mistakes before when they were too tired or filled with all sorts of emotions, but right now they were rather well rested and there were going to be many individuals at the concert. Other bands were also performing and a voice crack could leave a mark on their identity as a group. “Just do it.” Donghyuck mused and put his mic on to go on stage. The leader wanted to help, so he suggested to the younger to do the task when they were close to each other, making sure the maknae didn’t hear them. They sang the first song perfectly, being quite satisfied with the cheers they’d received by the end of it. During the second one, Doyoung was getting ready to do his high note and felt even more nervous than when he performed for their debut. He positioned himself to the side and when he was doing his part, two hands grabbed his sides and pinched him hard, causing his voice to crack. Then, they both smiled to the camera shyly, not paying any attention to Donghyuck’s sour expression and intense glare – Taeyong’s actions were calling for revenge.

**Mission 12:** Join Johnny for volunteering and act as a brat.

A lot of people had gathered in the room, to get their free meal. It was a center for the homeless people and they had to give out plates with warm food, for them to enjoy during the winter. Donghyuck was pouring warm tea in plastic cups and handed them to anyone who asked for one. Johnny was in charge of the noodles, while Doyoung gave him empty bowls to put them in. “Aish. Do it right! It’s a complete mess.” he said to the older, biting his lower lip nervously when he received a cold, unforgiving stare. When the taller was getting ready to pour the contents into another, the boy next to him pushed him slightly, causing him to burn his right hand with the spilled soup. “I will end you if you don’t stop right now.” Johnny growled lowly, then smiled sweetly at the person in front of him as he passed them the food. “Sorry. You’re being too slow and there are a lot more waiting.” Doyoung mused and grinned back at his friend. The eldest’s expression changed to one of a murderer, lifting the chopsticks in the air as if he was going to poke the other’s eyes out “Don’t push it.”. Donghyuck chuckled, being quite satisfied with the tension rising through the air and the look of annoyance on their member’s face. Doyoung bumped into Johnny one more time, the noodles in the bowl spilling right onto his expensive shoes. The older just stared down at his feet, then turned to glare at his childish friend. “Alright… I’ll see you again back at the dorms.” he threatened and tried his best not to hit the other right then and there.

**Mission 13:** Make a big order of women items in Taeyong’s name.

Doyoung stared at his phone and sighed, thinking deeply how his best friend tried to help him through the tasks he had to carry out. “I’m not doing this one. Screw it.” he muttered under his breath, getting up to go and wash up for the night. As he took his shirt off and stared at himself in the mirror, he heard his device ping again with a new message. “I swear that child is trying to kill off the last of my nerves.” he complained and unlocked his phone to check the contents of the text – “ _Are you busy? I haven’t heard from you from that night. Can we talk, please?_ ”. His heart began beating faster and he chewed on his lower lip nervously. Ever since the concert, he only hung out around Jaehyun when the others were also in the room and avoided staying all alone with him. His thoughts were a complete mess, Donghyuck was making his life a living hell and this was certainly not on the list of things to take care of during this period. “ _I don’t have time. Sorry._ ” he replied and left the conversation open, expecting something else to pop up. “ _I’m not playing, hyung. I want us to spend some time together. You think I’m dumb? I know you’re not doing anything right now._ ” Jaehyun texted back and Doyoung felt a knot in his throat. “ _There is no reason for us to take this any further. I’ve told you already. I’m not interested._ ” he commented, taking his pants off right after to go on with what he was previously doing. “ _Bullshit. I’m coming over to your floor._ ” the younger sent to him and a look of complete and utter panic decorated Doyoung’s soft features. He got dressed immediately and ran back to his room, filling a bag with any clothes that he could find, along with some items he considered important, then left the dorm without telling anyone, ignoring Donghyuck shouting behind him that he was waiting for him to do his task.

Mark nudged the boy with his shoulder, waking him up from his daze. “Are you still thinking of how much of a pain in the ass you’ve been?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the other. Donghyuck clacked his tongue and laid back on the bed, closing his eyes. “I wasn’t. He’s gonna thank me later for half of the things I’ve asked him to do.” he replied, smiling fondly until he felt the older’s breath linger on his right cheek. “I highly doubt that.” Mark told him and pressed his lips to the boy’s forehead, getting up right after to put the guitar in its’ rightful place. “Just wait till he hears the last mission. I might have to relocate.” the maknae chuckled and ran his fingers through his soft hair. “I don’t even want to know.” his friend commented, but his attention was on his phone that pinged again and again. It was the group chat.

**You can’t spell NCT without Chaos: Snoopy, Evil Maknae, Leadernim, Mr. Moon, Call Me Oppa, Amajohnny, Mark me in your heart, Boyfriend Material, Young Bunny**

**18:46**

**Leadernim:** I found him, guys

 **Leadernim:** We’re coming back to the dorms

 **Evil Maknae:** He’s in exile

 **Evil Maknae:** The 13th mission is not done yet

 **Amajohnny:** Shut up, kid

 **Amajohnny:** We need him to cook for us

 **Snoopy:** I second that

 **Snoopy:** Noodles, please~

 **Call Me Oppa:** So, we’re drinking tonight?

 **Call Me Oppa:** Let’s play _I have never_

 **Call Me Oppa:** Sicheng taught me

 **Mr. Moon:** Do I have to hide the vodka again?

 **Leadernim:** What’s that about?

 **Mr. Moon:** A game that gets you shitfaced

 **Amajohnny:** I know it and I’m in

 **Mark me in your heart:** Y’all up to sharing some TMIs then?

 **Mark me in your heart:** It’s gonna get personal

 **Evil Maknae:** Sounds perfect

 **Young Bunny:** I kindly refuse

 **Boyfriend Material:** No :)

 **Boyfriend Material:** We’re all doing it

 **Leadernim:** As long as you guys don’t end up fighting

 **Leadernim:** It’s all good

 **Call Me Oppa:** Eeeh, what’s the worst that can happen?

 **Amajohnny:** You’re seriously asking that when Hyuckie is in this group?

 **Evil Maknae:** What’s that supposed to mean, hyung?

 **Snoopy:** Y’all better be careful

 **Snoopy:** He has one more mission to give out to Doyoungie hyung

 **Young Bunny:** Don’t remind me

 **Evil Maknae:** *laughing malefically*

 **Leadernim:** What did I do to deserve this? *facepalm*

 **Mr. Moon:** I heard the Dreamies have an empty spot in their dorm

 **Mr. Moon:** Let’s move him there

 **Evil Maknae:** NO! PLEASE! I PROMISE I’LL BE A GOOD BOY!

 **Mark me in your heart:** Those kids are scary

 **Mark me in your heart:** Not even Hyuckie can handle them

 **Call Me Oppa:** How fast can you pack your bags? *evil grin*

 **Evil Maknae:** PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!

 **Snoopy:** As long as you don’t take away our second best chef

 **Snoopy:** I need food to survive *sigh*

 **Amajohnny:** Ok. Ok. Y’all can continue this on the 10th floor

 **Amajohnny:** Let’s have some fun! *smirk*

* * *

“Ok. Now that we’re all here, including our missing member, let’s start!” Yuta said out loud as he was pouring vodka and soju in the small glasses (after he checked all the bottles to make sure they weren’t filled with water again). Johnny was the first one to go and he wanted them to understand the game first, also do a little warm up, so he stated the obvious “I have never performed a song live.”. Taeil snickered and ushered all of his friends to down the alcohol on the table. “I have never wanted to kill someone who’s present here.” Doyoung said and glared at their maknae intensely, before drinking the vodka. Taeyong chuckled and got ready for his turn, looking around and opening his mouth to speak “I have never been in a relationship.”.

As they all emptied the contents of their glasses, Jungwoo started complaining “We’re gonna end up in the hospital, before all of us finish their lines.”. Jaehyun agreed, but still joined in on the fun, taking everyone by surprise with his bold statement “I have never kissed someone inside of this room.”. For a few seconds, no one moved an inch. Doyoung’s face turned to a dangerous shade of red, thinking whether it was ok to do it or just brush it off and act as if nothing had happened on the terrace. Mark and Donghyuck were the first to drink up and the rest weren’t shocked at all by this subtle confession.

Jaehyun frowned for a bit, expecting some kind of reaction from Doyoung, but the older wasn’t touching the alcohol in front of him. He’d been trying to fix the weird relationship in between them for quite a long time now and his patience was running thin. This couldn’t go on any longer. As Yuta opened his mouth to say something, Jaehyun downed his shot and looked expectantly at Doyoung who was trying to avoid his gaze. “Do it.” he ushered and crossed his arms over his broad chest. The older picked up the glass and drank the vodka again, ignoring the curious looks the rest were sending towards them.

“Care to elaborate?” Johnny questioned and sat up straight. “Not really.” Doyoung started, but was immediately cut off by the one he’d kissed a few weeks ago. “What? Did y’all think he was running away for no reason at all?” Jaehyun snapped and took another shot, just to calm his nerves. Donghyuck had a confused expression on his face, thinking hard of the moment that could have happened and of the reasons he didn’t know about it. “Sooo… Doyoung hyung really has a crush on you?” Jungwoo asked out of the blue and the others looked at their two members, waiting for some kind of explanation. “I don’t. It just happened. Move on.” the said boy commented and poured more alcohol in the empty glasses.

“I wanted to discuss this privately, but you’ve ignored all of my messages.” Jaehyun shot back, starting to get annoyed with the whole situation. “I’ve told you. We have nothing to talk about.” Doyoung replied and handed out the shots, motioning for them to move to the next round. “Lie all you want, but I still remember what you’ve confessed to me that night.” the younger snapped and rolled his eyes, downing the alcohol he’d just been offered. “This is getting interesting. Please, continue.” Donghyuck mused, clapping his hands in excitement.

“Shut it.” Doyoung threatened and glared at the boy, who didn’t seem like he was paying any attention to his words. “You like me. I like you. And yet…” Jaehyun started, watching as the other’s eyes grew bigger in panic. “You’re acting like this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you!” he continued and got up on his feet to point accusingly at the boy. “Ummm, why don’t you two take this in private? Hmm?” Taeyong interfered, trying to calm down the spirits, worried for his best friend as he looked quite uncomfortable with the whole conversation. “Nah. I’m enjoying this. Please, tell us more.” Yuta said out loud, grinning from ear to ear. Donghyuck and Jungwoo nodded in agreement, waiting for the poor boy’s answer.

Doyoung lift his head to stare at the other, simply telling him “It is.”. Hearing that, Jaehyun pulled at his hair in frustration and left the room. For a while, everyone was completely silent. As their leader was making attempts at starting the game again, the rest didn’t know if they should be doing something to release the tension or not. The younger came back with his phone and unlocked it, playing a certain recording that shocked all of them.

The conversation that they had that night could be heard, together with some kissing sounds made towards the end. Doyoung froze in his spot, disbelief plastered on his face. “WHY THE FUCK DID YOU TAKE THAT?!” he shouted, standing up and going towards the other to grab him by the collar. “Just in case you needed proof for your first mission.” Jaehyun told him calmly and smiled innocently at his attacker. “YOU… YOU… YOU ARE A FUCKING ASSHOLE!” Doyoung screamed once more and pushed the boy into the nearest wall, grinding his teeth as he tried to control his anger.

Johnny got up and grabbed the younger by his arm, thinking it was for the best if a fight didn’t break out inside their dorms. “LET ME GO! I’M GOING TO KILL THIS BASTARD!” the other continued, forming a fist with his hand and pulling it back, ready to throw the first punch. “Yah! Yah! Calm down!” Taeyong said and jumped to his feet to stop his best friend. “Denial is the worst, isn’t it? Why are you holding back? Hit me with your best shot, babe.” Jaehyun replied, staring intensely at the one in front of him, provoking him even more.

Right after his words, there was a loud bang as Doyoung’s fist hit the wall with full force, next to the younger’s head. “I hate you.” he said quietly, hand hanging low as tears began streaming down his face. “Next time you come close to me, I can’t promise I’ll be holding back. Fuck you.” the boy continued, sounding dejected. He straightened up his back, locking eyes with Jaehyun’s for a few seconds, then grabbed his jacket and left the dorm.

Silence filled the room completely. Johnny inspected the bloody marks on the wall, then gripped the younger’s shoulder. He pulled the boy with him and pushed him to sit down at the table with the rest. “If you don’t apologize for that, I’m gonna be the one who kicks your ass.” the tallest instructed with a stern expression on his features. “Are you happy now?” Mark questioned out loud, frowning while he stared at the one next to him. Donghyuck just shrugged and took a shot “I was right though… Doyoung hyung’s pride or whatever the fuck’s going through his head just won’t let him act on it.”.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Jaehyun-ah. Didn’t expect you to pull something like that.” Taeyong told his younger member, than got dressed and went to search for Doyoung, hoping that the boy hadn’t gotten too far, leaving to the others the task of cleaning up the mess.

* * *

It was pretty cold outside, wind blowing and carrying through the air a few snowflakes. Doyoung sat down on the bench in front of their building, humming softly the tune to their song “ _Coming Home_ ”. He wiped away his tears with the back of his sleeve and mentally hit himself for making such a scene, in front of his group. He silently wished he could control his feelings better, but anger and frustration got the best of him. Not being able to hold back anymore, he lashed out in ways that were not really the usual for him (when he got angry, he would just go somewhere else to cool off, then continue what he was previously doing).

Suddenly, the door at the entrance opened and Taeyong’s head popped out, his gaze settling on the lonely boy. “Yah. Why did you do that? I thought you were going to admit it.” the leader questioned gently and sat down next to him. “I was so furious that I couldn’t keep it together anymore. Sorry.” Doyoung answered and tried his best to put on a smile for his best friend. The other just wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. He went for the younger’s right hand, lifting it up to inspect the damage done to his knuckles, then placed his jacket over the bloody wounds.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Taeyong asked, sighing deeply and looking up at the sky. “I’m so lost. I just don’t know what I’m doing these days.” the one next to him replied and leaned into the comfortable embrace to enjoy the warmth. “Why are you so against it anyway?” the leader commented, raising an eyebrow as his attention was back on his friend. “I don’t want to mess up the team and… I’ve never dated a guy before. I just… I didn’t expect to feel so much for Jaehyunnie. I get so flustered whenever he is around. Plus… ther other stuff I’ve told you about earlier.” Doyoung answered, licking his dry lips.

There was a little bit of silence in between them while Taeyong was thinking of what he could say to the younger to comfort him, then someone behind them spoke up “You’re an idiot.”. They both turned around to look at Jaehyun who was just standing there, with his hands in his pockets. The eldest sighed and got up, ready to go back to the dorms. “Don’t fight again, ok?” he warned the boys, before opening the door and slipping inside the building.

The youngest walked to the front of the bench and crouched down to be at the same eye level with his member. He placed his warm hands on the boy’s knees, staring worriedly at his wounded knuckles. “It’s not just a passing phase. I’ve liked you for more than two years.” Jaehyun began softly, brushing away some snowflakes that were settling on his skin. “I knew you were uncomfortable and not ready for anything to happen in between us. That’s why I waited.” he continued and looked up to smile lovingly at the older.

“I’m still… not. I can’t do this, Jaehyunnie.” Doyoung replied, eyes filling up with tears once more. “It’s alright. I’m not going anywhere. We can take it slow, just… stop lying to the both of us and to our friends.” the said boy told him and cupped the other’s cold cheek. For a few seconds, the one sitting on the bench seemed to be deep in thought. The silence was comfortable this time, no tension or hard feelings. “Fine. I like you. A lot. I want to go on dates with you and sleep next to you. I want for us to get closer and learn more about each other. We can’t be a couple right now though. It’s all too confusing for me.” Doyoung confessed and leaned towards the younger, their faces inches apart.

Jaehyun bit his lip, trying to hold back the biggest grin from spreading, cheeks flushed. His heart was beating really fast and it wasn’t something he could control. “Ok. We can do that. However it suits you, babe.” he replied and saw his friend’s nose scrunch up in discomfort. “Stop calling me that.” the older commented, letting out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in. “Sorry. That… I can’t do.” Jaehyun chuckled, then closed the distance in between them as his lips brushed softly against the other’s. The kiss was slow and gentle, without any awkwardness. It finally felt real and normal, unlike the one they’ve shared back at the company. That was rushed and passionate. This felt truly loving.

Before they broke apart, the door was slammed open and loud cheering filled the winter air. “FUCKING FINALLY!” Johnny shouted and ran to them, looking very excited and caught in the moment. “FIRST MISSION COMPLETE!” Donghyuck also screamed and pat Doyoung on the back. “I love you both, but if this went on for one more day, I would have you two meters beneath the ground.” Taeyong chuckled, then pushed Jaehyun jokingly to the side.

The rest of the boys had gathered around them, each of them giving their congratulatory messages and starting the normal bickering, teasing the ones in the middle. “It’s cold as fuck though. Can we go back to drinking?” Yuta asked out of the blue and his group vehementely agreed. “Good. Good. Now I can also give out the last mission.” the maknae cheered and felt a hard smack on his head. “Tomorrow.” Mark instructed, then dragged the boy after him, towards the entrance of their building.

“Oh, fuck.” Doyoung cursed, then sighed deeply, in the heat of the moment having forgotten of Donghyuck’s stupid tasks. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you out the best I can, _babe_. Just… don’t mess around with my foundation ever again.” Jaehyun told him as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders to pull him closer. Doyoung just blushed and quietly nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like this chapter?   
> It might be the longest I've written so far, but I didn't want to split it in any way.  
> I know some parts are a bit angsty, but I wanted to dig a little deeper into DoJae's relationship, since the others have been previously described in more details/already have some closure. I hope Donghyuck's missions lived up to your expectations (but remember he still has to give out one more and some members didn't get their punishments just yet)! 
> 
> Please tune in for the last chapter! Feedback is appreciated! <3 
> 
> Have a nice day/evening and sending lots of virtual hugs to you all!


	13. The start of something new feat. NCT 2020

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kun comes back to WayV's dorm, only to find it in complete chaos - being a single dad is quite difficult.  
> Mark takes on his role as a leader of NCT Dream, just as an unexpected thing happens in between two of the members.  
> Taeyong has a surprise for everyone. Mark and Donghyuck are still not dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: this contains A LOT of swearing and some mentions of sexual things (?)
> 
> Hello, my wonderful rays of sunshine!   
> If anyone's still here, I appologize for taking so long to post a new chapter.   
> It's been a wild month, I got hit also with the writer's block, so I struggled to finish this ff and not ruin it in the process T_T. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy also this one - it's my last chapter.   
> Thank you for all the love you've given me so far! <3 Thank you for your support!

Kun looked at his phone as it rang for the 13th time that day. He was seriously thinking of shutting it off or at least block the younger’s number just for a while, until he calmed down. The man sighed deeply before picking up the call “Yes, Chenle-yah?”. “IT’S CALLED RELOAD AND IT HAS ONLY 5 TRACKS!” the other screamed on the other line, breathing heavily after finishing his line. “It’s really stressing you out, right?” the leader laughed and recounted all the spoilers the NCT Dream member had given him so far.

“They give me updates each week. It’s killing me!” Chenle complained even further, Kun finally feeling his annoyance simmering down. He was on his way to his dorm, ready to take care of his own boys, since he’d been too busy with the vlives to be able to give them anything to do. “Yah! That’s what you get for ruining every single album you’ve put out so far!” he replied and heard the youngster groan loudly. “It’s bothering me though… I don’t think they’ll kick me out for real if I spoil something.” Chenle said, Kun almost being able to imagine the boy’s evil smirk.

Arriving in front of his building, he opened his mouth to end the call, energy bubbling up inside of him “Don’t even _think_ about it! I gotta go.”. “Pssh. Maybe I can join WayV if I lose the Dreamies.” the other commented again, seemingly ignoring the last part of the older’s response. “No, thank you. Six little Devils are more than enough. Bye.” Kun told him and before Chenle could say anything, he pressed the red button on his screen.

“I’m home!” the leader announced, as he pushed the door wide open. He took his shoes off, then spent a few moments to process what was happening: Ten was chasing Hendery through the dorm, the latter holding something tightly in his arms and shouting intelligible things, Yukhei and Dejun were almost naked and arm-wrestling over the kitchen table, with Yang Yang hyping them up. Yeah, completely normal. Sicheng was nowhere in sight, but the music blasting on the speakers loudly was probably coming from his room.

Kun dropped his bag on the floor in the living room, and grabbed Hendery aggressively by the collar of his shirt while he was running around, pulling him towards the couch. When he saw the whole scene, Ten stopped on his tracks. The oldest only looked at him once and that made him sit in the empty space next to the other. “Wait here.” the leader instructed, in a serious tone, a stern expression on his face. When he left, Ten nudged Hendery with his elbow and stole the plushie as the boy’s hold loosened around it. “Touch it one more time and I’ll kick your ass.” he threatened, but the younger only poked his tongue out and crossed his arms over his chest.

The members in the kitchen were being really loud, screaming at each other while the match was still on. Kun sat in between them and waved his hand to distract them, receiving a dirty look from Dejun who was finally close to winning. “Living room. Now.” the elder told them, but no one paid any attention to him. In a split second, his palm met the surface of the table with a loud _bang_. Yang Yang jumped two meters back, in total surprise, eyes wide open. Yukhei let go of the one in front of him and left to join the rest on the couch.

Dejun pouted and didn’t move from his spot, until Kun threw his shirt back at him, motioning for the boy to get dressed and follow him out of the kitchen. “What did we do this time?” Yang Yang whispered to the others, while their leader was busy recovering Sicheng from his cave. “I don’t know. Did we forget his birthday or something?” Ten questioned and pulled his phone out to check the calendar. “Nah. We didn’t clean the dorms again.” Yukhei replied and picked up with his toe a dirty pair of undies off the floor. “We also ordered food after he spent three hours cooking yesterday.” Hendery continued, then they all nodded in agreement as realization hit them.

Kun sat in the middle of the living room, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were set on the six boys laid down on the couch and on the carpet, in front of him. “I have decided that I will not give out any punishments, even though the director wanted me to.” he said out loud and watched their shocked expressions. “Are you… Are you… ok?” Yang Yang asked out the blue, then got up to check the older’s temperature. “Better than ever! I’m done with my task.” Kun replied, a big smile spreading on his face.

“Wait. Wait. Wait. Something doesn’t seem right.” Sicheng commented and jumped to his feet, scanning his surroundings. “Is this a hidden cam?” he questioned, before checking behind the curtains. “It’s not.” the leader chuckled and pulled out a pile of small, colourful notes. “What’s the catch?” Ten opened his mouth to speak, eyeing suspiciously the things his friend was holding. “Doyoungie wanted to thank me for letting him stay here, so he owes me a favour. Please, take one paper each.” Kun instructed and walked by his members as they grabbed the notes from his hand.

“Clean the bathroom?” Yang Yang read out loud, then groaned, covering his face with a fluffy pillow. “Wash the clothes (separate categories). What the heck is this?” Hendery asked and waved the small piece of paper in the air, staring at his leader in confusion. “All of you have complained about his behaviour, but somehow, he managed to set you straight for two whole days. This shared space is a complete mess, so I’ve asked Doyoungie to teach each of you how to keep clean a section of our apartment.” Kun explained, grinning triumphantly.

His members were looking back at him in complete horror, until one of them shared his brilliant idea “Sooo… All we have to do is learn. Nothing else, right?” the maknae questioned, batting his eyelashes cutely at the eldest. The rest cheered and agreed with him, Yukhei even clapping his hands. “Don’t play dumb. You have to take care of your rooms. Even the manager is getting annoyed always seeing dirty clothes everywhere and sticky spots on the floor.” the leader said even further and this time, his friends sighed deeply, completely giving up on trying to get rid of this whole issue.

Kun sat down on the couch, in the middle of them, wrapping his arms around Ten’s and Hendery’s shoulders. “You should be glad I’m only doing _this_ , considering almost all of you have helped the Dreamies with their little show.” he continued in a sharp tone, eyes gleaming with anger as he thought of that night once more. “Don’t make me go back and say how this whole thing actually started.” Yukhei complained, crossing his arms across his broad, naked chest. Kun just glared at him, almost daring his friend to say more “Don’t make me send you in a box to your boyfriend’s dorm.”.

“I bet Taeyongie hyung’s punishments are not that bad. We all know anyway Doyoung got the worst of it so far.” Ten commented, his eyes fixed on the phone in his hands. The leader felt frustration building up inside of him as the rest just kept complaining of how harsh his task was. “Should I just brainstorm ideas with the Dreamies’ help then?” Kun questioned out the the blue and watched Hendery get up in an instant. “What was it? Wash the clothes? Okey-dokey!” he chirped, gathering the dirty pants and shirts off the floor.

* * *

“Why the fuck are you here?!” Renjun yelped, wrapping the towel around his wet, naked body. “I need to use the bathroom. Obviously.” the younger replied and took his pants off to take care of his business. He sat down on the toilet, completely ignoring the clear annoyance on his friend’s face. “It’s not like I haven’t seen _that_ before.” he continued as the older shut off the shower and proceeded to apply moisturizer on his cheeks. The mirror was quite foggy, but the boy didn’t even bother wiping it off.

Donghyuck slightly pushed him to the side to be able to wash his hands. In return, Renjun kicked him in his hip, making him fall into the puddle on the floor. “Aish. Do you wanna die?!” the younger shouted, scrunching his nose up at the sudden contact with the water. The other was laughing loudly, while holding his stomach, body shaking just a bit. Donghyuck wanted to grab his friend and drag him down, but the boy defended himself by lifting up his knee. The one on the floor blinked a few times, trying to understand what was happening: he was on all fours, Renjun’s towel in one hand, while the Chinese member stood in all his glory in front of him.

Before they could change the position or have any reaction, the door sprung open and someone walked in, still holding the handle. “Ummm… Uuuh… Am I…. Can I… Uuuh… SORRY!” Jisung mumbled, blushing furiously and running away. Donghyuck got up and handed Renjun his clothes to get dressed, cringing at the screams happening in the other room: “I AM STILL A MINOR! MY EYES ARE BURNING! JUST LOCK THE DOOR IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO THAT!”.

The younger left the bathroom, shooting lasers with his eyes as he was searching for the maknae to make him shut up and avoid causing any type of misunderstanding. Before he could do or say anything, Jeno stopped Jisung from pulling all of his hair out “What did you see?”. “H-H-Hyung, they were doing rated stuff in there.” the boy replied and put on a terrified expression. “Aish. It’s not like that.” Donghyuck shot back and smacked the other on the back of his head.

The maknae looked up at him and blushed once more, palms covering his red cheeks “You… were… on your knees… and Renjunnie hyung was… naked.”. Hearing that, Jeno frowned and bit his lip in an attempt to control his emotions. “Mhmm, is that so, Hyuckie? Just wait till Mark hyung hears about this.” the older commented, a forced smile decorating his features. He felt his insides twist and curl, the image of his two friends doing wild things in the bathroom coming into his mind.

“Jisung-ah, why don’t you go to my room? You can use my computer. Just make sure you turn the volume up.” Jeno told the youngest and pat his head to comfort him. The one in front of him got up from the floor and left them standing there, just as Renjun was coming out of the bathroom. As soon as the door was closed shut behind the maknae, someone started screaming, taking Donghyuck by surprise “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING BLOWING HIM OFF?!”. “He got the wrong idea. Calm down.” the younger replied, covering his ears.

Jeno wasn’t paying attention though, face completely red and hands on his hips “HE IS A CHILD! IF YOU WANNA MESS AROUND, DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!”. Renjun walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling the other closer “We didn’t do anything wrong.”. The boy jumped up as if he’d been burned and yelled even louder “REALLY?!”. In that moment, another door opened and Jaemin came to check on them, still rubbing his eyes since he’d just woken up.

“Why are you being like this, Jeno-yah?” he asked, not really noticing the tension that filled up the air. “He’s being irrational and jealous for no reason. I’d never do something with _this_ … dude.” Donghyuck told him and scrunched up his nose in disgust. “Yah! I’m a full package, ok? No wonder your dirty hands were trying to feel me up.” Renjun fought back and lounged forward to grab the boy by the collar. “AHA! SO YOU WERE FUCKING AROUND!” Jeno exclaimed, pointing his finger at his two friends.

Jaemin sighed deeply and sat on the couch, not being able to keep up with the whole conversation. He managed to pick up some useful information though: Jeno was scary when he was furious (and jealous), Renjun and Donghyuck liked to spend some quality time in the bathroom together, Jisung was still their kid, Mark and the manager were going to kill them if the neighbours reported them to the police for being so loud again. Yeah, everything was going fine.

Before their fighting could continue, Donghyuck’s phone pinged loudly, taking them all by surprise:

**You can’t spell NCT without Chaos: Snoopy, Evil Maknae, Leadernim, Mr. Moon, Call Me Oppa, Amajohnny, Mark me in your heart, Boyfriend Material, Young Bunny**

**17:31**

**Leadernim:** Hi, guys

 **Call Me Oppa:** What’s up?

 **Leadernim:** Where are y’all at?

 **Snoopy:** Visiting WayV’s dorm

 **Amajohnny:** Yeah… Someone was being too loud

 **Snoopy:** Y’all really had me believe

 **Snoopy:** Doyoung hyung was the shy and quiet one

 **Mr. Moon:** All lies, my friend

 **Evil Maknae:** I’m having a situation with the Dreamies

 **Leadernim:** You’d better stay put

 **Leadernim:** We don’t need 119 2.0

 **Evil Maknae:** Nah, Jeno is just throwing a fit

 **Call Me Oppa:** What did you do this time?

 **Evil Maknae:** Walked in on Renjun who was taking a shower

 **Mark me in your heart:** A little birdie told me it was more than that

 **Snoopy:** Uuuuh, spicy!

 **Evil Maknae:** PARK JISUNG IS SO DEAD

 **Evil Maknae:** WHATEVER HE SAYS

 **Evil Maknae:** IT IS NOT TRUE

 **Evil Maknae:** I DID NOT SUCK OFF RENJUN

 **Mark me in your heart:** *sends picture*

 **Leadernim:** WHAT THE FUCK, CHILD?!

 **Call Me Oppa:** Get it! Get it! Get it!

 **Amajohnny:** Woop! I’m saving this *smirk*

 **Snoopy:** Pwhahaha, why was your butt all wet?

 **Leadernim:** DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM!

 **Leadernim:** LEE DONGHYUCK, EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

 **Mark me in your heart:** Yeah, Hyuckie

 **Mark me in your heart:** Explain, explain

 **Evil Maknae:** I don’t know when he took that pic

 **Evil Maknae:** But NCT is losing one member tonight

 **Mr. Moon:** I wiped the floors for a month

 **Mr. Moon:** And they go around doing things like this *sigh*

 **Leadernim:** *sends screenshot*

 **Leadernim:** I wanted to let it slide just once, but I can’t

 **Call Me Oppa:** Can you add one more thing on that list?

 **Leadernim:** What?

 **Call Me Oppa:** Jaehyunnie and Doyoungie have to sleep in different rooms

 **Call Me Oppa:** Seriously

 **Snoopy:** I second that

 **Snoopy:** They’re being too loud

 **Amajohnny:** This happened because of Hyuckie

 **Mr. Moon:** Let him take the double punishment!

 **Leadernim:** _@Young Bunny_ where are you?

 **Call Me Oppa:** Don’t bother

 **Call Me Oppa:** 10th floor

 **Snoopy:** Why do you think we’re all out?

 **Mark me in your heart:** I’m headed to the Dreamies dorm

 **Mark me in your heart:** Can I give Hyuckie something extra?

 **Amajohnny:** Totally

 **Snoopy:** Yes

 **Mr. Moon:** Just go for it

 **Call Me Oppa:** The picture was hilarious though

 **Call Me Oppa:** Also, jealous Mark is cute

 **Mark me in your heart:** I am not

 **Mark me in your heart:** We’re not even dating

 **Call Me Oppa:** You should

 **Leadernim:** Stop encouraging them!

 **Mr. Moon:** Stay in Hyuckie’s room please

 **Mr. Moon:** JaeDo are on the 10th floor already

 **Snoopy:** *sigh* I thought it was DoJae

 **Amajohnny:** I said it already

 **Amajohnny:** There’s no way in hell Doyoung tops that ass

 **Young Bunny:** Wanna bet? *smirk*

Donghyuck read the screenshot from Taeyong again, not believing his eyes. The punishments were all random, but somehow pretty accurate. The leader wanted him to share the list with the rest of NCT Dream’s members and make sure they performed their tasks. For the moment, Jeno was still not done yelling and complaining, Jaemin was quietly drinking coffee and reading the NCT 127’s conversations over the other’s shoulder, while Renjun was trying hard to calm down one of his boyfriends. It was not working.

As the situation was getting more complicated and out of hand, at the entrance appeared Mark, with a stern expression on his face. He scanned his surroundings and only moved when his eyes fell on a very flustered Donghyuck. “Explain yourself.” the leader said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You see… I was only helping Renjunnie with the towel when Jisungie-“ the younger began, but was abruptly cut off by Jeno. “Bullshit! Were you trying to put it on with your mouth?!” he exclaimed and waved his hands around.

“A picture is worth a thousand words, but I wanted to give you a chance...” Mark commented, sighing and lowering his head to stare at his feet. “Picture?” Renjun questioned, quite confused with the whole idea and not being aware of the conversation on the groupchat. The eldest pulled his phone out and showed the rest the images their maknae had sent him just a bit earlier. He didn’t seem to have thought that through. Seconds after they processed the whole issue at hand, Renjun’s face went completely red and he ran towards Jisung’s room “I WILL FUCKING MURDER HIM!”.

Donghyuck only laughed, casually watching his friend search for the boy. “He’s in Jeno’s room~.” he chirped and pointed towards the said location. “Oh, no!” the owner exclaimed and went after the other to stop him from hurting their maknae (and ruining his personal space). “YAH! WHY ARE YOU TAKING PICTURES OF NAKED PEOPLE?!” Renjun shouted all of a sudden and the rest had to follow the source of the voice and see what was happening.

Jisung was hiding in a corner, trying to explain himself, while the older was just towering over him, with a hanger in his right hand. “IF IT WASN’T FOR HYUCKIE’S FACE, YOU COULD ALMOST SEE MY DI-“ he began, but was cut off by Jaemin’s hand covering his mouth. “Don’t hurt my baby. Only half of NCT saw the picture anyway. No one else.” he whispered in his boyfriend’s ear, smiling lovingly at him in an attempt to calm the boy down. Renjun’s eyes grew wider when he heard that, feeling his blood boil even more with anger.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.” Donghyuck said, walking past his two friends and towards the youngest member. He was cracking his knuckles, ready to jump on Jisung at any given time. “You wouldn’t be so mad if you weren’t doing anything.” Jeno stated, still checking out the picture on Mark’s phone. He kept zooming in and out, trying to figure out if Donghyuck was really only trying to give Renjun his towel back or something else was happening.

They all turned to stare at him in disbelief, room completely silent (even Jisung had stopped whimpering). “Stop alluding that we were. For fuck’s sake. This whole jealousy thing is cute, but don’t take it overboard.” Renjun replied out of the blue, holding Jaemin’s hand steady and away from his mouth. After that, the boy left the room, leaving the rest to stop Donghyuck from attacking their maknae.

* * *

“Ok. Now that you’re also her-“ Mark started saying and got cut off by one of the boys being extremely loud. “THE ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED IN SPRING. THE TITLE TRACK IS RIDIN’.” Chenle shouted and stood up from his spot, breathing heavily. “Oh. He’s still malfunctioning.” Jaemin stated, then pat the younger on his butt to try and get his attention, but the boy didn’t move. “Anyway, as I was telling you-“ the leader tried to continue and stared back at the screen of his phone.

Before he could finish his lines, Jeno interrupted him unceremoniously “It’s not that I don’t trust you, babe. But the position in that photo was really inappropriate.”. Renjun rolled his eyes, then turned towards one of his boyfriends “So? To me Hyuckie is like a damn piece of wood – which is fucking unattractive.”. “Hey, hey! Can you bicker with him and not drag me down at the same time? I look like a snack, ok?” Donghyuck complained and slightly pushed the one next to him with his foot.

Mark sighed and waited for them to cool off to be able and speak again. “So, Taeyongie hyung gave me your punishments and-“ he started, but was cut off by the maknae who had a really important observation to make. “If you were going to use the bathroom together, why didn’t you lock the door?” Jisung questioned out of the blue and instantly regretted it. Three of his members were glaring at him intensely, which caused him to hide behind Jaemin, hoping the older could actually defend him.

“Yah! Maknae! Do you have a death wish today?” Donghyuck shot back, ready to throw a punch towards the youngest. “I still can’t believe I’ve missed all the fun again.” Chenle commented, then sighed deeply. “Don’t worry, kid. I have more tasks for you all.” the eldest stated and showed the rest the screen of his phone. Jaemin groaned loudly, leaning into the maknae’s arms. “Renjun and Donghyuck have to hold hands for a whole day while they go shopping with Taeyong?” Jisung said out loud, that certain line catching his attention. Jeno paced around the room anxiously, trying to calm down his nerves. Then, he turned to look at the rest and burst into screaming “WELL, ENJOY YOUR FUCKING DATE! IF THAT IS THE ‘PUNISHMENT’, IT MEANS EVEN TAEYONG HYUNG KNOWS THERE’S SOMETHING UP WITH YOU TWO.”.

Renjun walked to him, annoyed with the whole situation, and grabbed his boyfriend by his arms to force him to face him. “You… are a fucking idiot.” he let out, before inching closer to Jeno to place a gentle kiss on his lips. “Trust me when I say, I wouldn’t date Donghyuck even if we were the last persons left on this Earth.” he continued, nuzzling his nose inside the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. “Likewise, dipshit.” the other commented and took the phone from Mark to read out the rest of the ideas: Jisung banned from playing games for the next two weeks, Chenle must join Jaehyun and Doyoung on their date (“How is this a punishment?” the boy asked, quite confused with the task. Mark and Donghyuck groaned at the same time “You’re in for a sweet surprise.”), Jaemin has to film a commercial for strawberry yoghurt (“Sooo… he’s basically trying to kill me.” he stated with a grim expression on his face), Jeno must introduce the two new trainees to NCT’s content (“Are you fucking kidding me? How is that a punishment?!” Donghyuck complained and threw his hands in the air. “Taeyong hyung met them already. He said one of the kids is a giggling mess and the other is super clumsy.” Mark told them as he seemed to be thinking of something).

“Wait. Is that all? Where’s Mark hyung’s task?” Chenle questioned, pointing his finger at the said boy. “He said that being your leader is enough.” the eldest shrugged and took a seat on the couch. “Well, you’re also Hyuckie’s boyfriend, so that must be hellish too.” Jaemin said and dodged a kick from his friend. “WE ARE NOT DATING!” Donghyuck yelled, but before he could continue, he was interrupted by the maknae “Of course. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing weird things with Renjunnie hyung in the bathroom. Mark hyung deserves some respect.”.

In a split second, Donghyuck jumped towards the boy, trying to grab him by the collar and attack him, but Chenle and Jaemin were fast enough and held him back. “SAY THAT AGAIN! I WILL MAKE SURE TOMORROW NEVER COMES FOR YOU, MAKNAE!” he screamed, hands still reaching for Jisung.

*ping*

“WHY THE FUCK IS DEJUN SENDING ME SO MANY LAUGHING EMOJIS?!” Renjun shouted and showed to the rest the screen of his phone, along with the message “ _Didn’t think you were such a little fox, Renjunnie_ ”. “Uuh… I might have… Uuuh… Accidentaly forwarded the pictures to another chatroom.” Jisung admitted and now, they were looking at him expectantly, as tension rose up in between them. “Which… Which… Which one?” Donghyuck asked, a terrified expression on his face. “SM… TOWN… Family… Chatroom.” the maknae said slowly, already preparing to run out of the dorm.

“PARK JISUNG!!!”

* * *

“Oh? Who do we have here?” could be heard from the door, so Renjun turned around to check the one talking to him. “Hello, hyung.” he said and could feel already his face burning. He’d been avoiding coming to the company for the past week, but Taeyong wanted them all there to meet the two new boys who’d be part of NCT. “I gotta say… Never expected you to be the wildest member of NCT Dream. Donghyuckie was no surprise though.” the older commented and Renjun just wanted to disappear into the ground. Jongin was his senior and used Kai as his stage name, but people there barely called him that, unless it was for commercial purposes.

He got closer to Renjun and clasped a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “Don’t worry. It will die down pretty soon. The noonas were pretty surprised though. I heard them whispering in the hallways about your nice body.” Jongin began, then smirked and continued “Stop hiding those chocolate abs.”. “Ugh, I just want to make it all go away and kill Jisung. He’s been sleeping with Taeyong hyung these days.” the younger commented, covering his red face. “Well, if it’s any consolation, Heechul hyung once posted his nudes on the company’s server. No one was surprised though…” the senior tried to cheer him up, but his laughter wasn’t helping at all with the whole situation.

“Why are you here anyway?” Renjun questioned and pulled out his phone to check the time and place for the group meeting. “I am in talks for my solo album. You were some kind of inspiration though. I want to show off and lose all my clothes for the MV filming.” Jongin teased and poked his tongue out. “Hyuuung~!” the younger whined, just as the room was starting to fill up with his members. “Oh, well. That’s my cue.” the senior said, winking at the boy next to him before leaving.

“What were you two talking about?” Jeno asked and grabbed his boyfriend’s hand. “Yah! Yah! Now you’re flirting even with people outside of NCT?” Jaemin complained, pinching Renjun’s cheek. “Oooh! Renfoxy! You’re finally showing your face!” Dejun joked, then slid his hands over his slim body, making kissy faces. The target of their teasing just growled lowly, trying not to kill anyone right then and there.

The tension had just started to dissipate, until another person entered the room. “Aaaah! Our Jisungie! I missed you! Come back home, baby!” Jaemin said, jumping on the maknae to hug him and nuzzle his nose inside the crook of his neck. Renjun turned to look at his friends and the rest had to hold him back from attacking the poor child “YEAH, YOU LITTLE DEVIL! COME BACK TO THE DORM!”. “Shush.” Kun hissed and dragged Renjun along with him towards the other corner of the room.

After they all had calmed down, Taeyong opened his mouth to speak “Sooo… as you all know, this year we are releasing NCT 2020, with the addition of two more members. Today, they will have their official introduction to our group: Jung Sungchan and Osaki Shotaro, born in 2001 and 2000, respectively!”. They all clapped as the boys entered the practice room, shyly walking towards the one in the center.

“Oh, shit! They have just the right ages to join NCT Dream!” Doyoung observed and they all nodded in agreement. “Isn’t that bad news?” Kun continued, a look of horror plastered on his face. “As long as they don’t practice with them, we’ll be just fine.” Johnny commented and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Have you seen Shotaro’s Tik Tok account though? It’s… something else.” Yuta let out as he was scrolling through the application.

“Uh… Uh… That… Uh… The company asked me to delete it.” Shotaro told them shyly, eyes stuck to the ground. “It’s fucking wild!” Yang Yang shouted as he was inspecting the content over Yuta’s shoulder, then clapped in excitement. “I guess he’s not allowed to join us for the concert this year.” Donghyuck whispered to Renjun with a sly smile spreading on his lips. “I heard from Jeno that he also likes to choreograph songs. Maybe he’ll give us some tips.” the other replied, just as Mark turned to stare them down. “Whatever you’re thinking… DON’T!” he growled and crossed his arms over his chest.

They both went quiet, but Chenle decided to continue their little charade “Hey! What are your favourite songs from us?”. Sungchan looked up at him in surprise and answered quietly “Candle Light.”. Now, everyone was waiting expectantly for Shotaro’s reply. The boy fiddled with his fingers, before letting them know the name of the song “1…1…9. I-I-I liked the c-c-choreo for the concert.”.

The room was soon filled with loud groans and some cheers. “That means he’s definitely not allowed around the Dreamies.” Kun stated, crossing his arms over his chest. “I can’t go through that chaos again.” Taeyong continued, shuddering as memories of that fateful night came to mind. “Eh, what’s the worst that can happen?” Donghyuck asked, trying to hold back his laughter. “The Devil has spoken.” Doyoung hissed and glared at the younger. “Mark, just keep your boyfriend under control.” Taeil finally spoke out, clinging to Sicheng’s side, ignoring Yuta’s complaints.

“WE ARE NOT DATING!” the 127 maknae screamed, but it was already too late. The C in NCT really stands for Chaos. Sungchan and Shotaro definitely didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. It was going to be a long year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... T_T this is the end.   
> Did you like this ff? Was it satisfying enough?  
> I wish you all lots of smiles and happiness! <3   
> Thank you everyone for sticking with me until the last chapter!  
> Please leave some feedback and let me know your thoughts on my first NCT chaptered ff.
> 
> Have a nice day/evening and sending virtual hugs to you all! <3 
> 
> PS: To make up for the long break, I plan on writing a bonus ff, also related to the action here, that may be based around the following ideas:  
> 1\. NoRenMin / DoJae / XiaoYang / JohnTen / YuTaeWin / LuWoo / MarkHyuck - Valentine's Day special 2k21;  
> 2\. SungTaro start promoting with NCT / are added to the chatrooms;  
> 3\. Drunk Dreamies shortie 2k21 edition (aka adult Jisung);   
> 4\. MarkHyuck summer fight / NCT conspiracies;  
> 5\. Chatroom-only edition - WayV / 127 / Dream / NCT 2020. 
> 
> Please let me know if you are interested in any of the above ideas (I might end up writing them all at some point, but only one will be related to this chaptered ff).

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for sticking with me till the end! <3  
> 


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